Dirty Little Secret
by QueenKalasin
Summary: Harry and Ginny broke up publicly at the end of HBP, but what about privately? This is the tale of two teenagers, and their secret and sordid relationship! The first chapter is a bit tame, but things quickly change, and the rating is well earned.
1. Chapter 1: The Scam

**A/N: Edited chapter one! Changed only slightly, but not by a lot. **

**Prologue**

**How it Began**

Harry found Ginny in the library a little over an hour before the funeral was set to begin. His heart squeezed and he nearly turned around and fled, not wanting to say the things that he had come to say. Unfortunately for Harry, or rather fortunately for his resolve, Ginny caught sight of him. She stood up and crossed the room to wrap her arms around him. "How you holding up, babe?" she asked huskily, sympathy clear in her tone, but underlined by her worry for him. Everyone who was close to him was concerned that Harry would slip back to the dark place he had gone when Sirius had died.

"Okay, I guess," he mumbled, his insides burning with guilt as he held Ginny close for a moment.

"You're sure?" she asked, pulling back far enough to look him in the eyes.

"Well," Harry said, "I think I am…"

Ginny took him by the hand and lead him to a pair of chairs in a secluded corner. She didn't let go of his hand, which made Harry really regret what he was going to have to do very soon…

"I mean, everything is so surreal," he said, wondering how exactly one was supposed to say the things that he had to say. "But I'm trying to not let it drown me like it did… last time."

"Oh, baby," Ginny murmured, stroking his hand.

"I've made some decisions," he said abruptly, looking away from her sympathetic brown eyes.

Ginny stopped rubbing her thumb over his hand, but she didn't drop it, nor did she say anything.

"I think that I need to be on my own for a while," he said, staring at the carpet.

"I see," said Ginny evenly, "Why?"

Harry hadn't really expected that particular reaction, so he looked up into her sparkling eyes. "Uh… because I have an evil wizard after me!"

"So," Harry said "I refuse to let him get you as well!"

"What if there was another way?" suggested Ginny, holding Harry's electric green gaze with her own.

"What have you got planned?" asked Harry, half in relief tinged with desperation, and half in supreme suspicion of his cunning girlfriend.

Ginny just grinned for a moment before leaning in and kissing his check. "Oh, you'd be surprised…"

**Chapter One**

**The Scam**

Hermione Granger watched Ginny Weasley stare out the window of the Hogwarts Express. The younger girl had scarcely spoken a word since Harry Potter had told her that they couldn't see each other any longer beside the lake outside their school, and Hermione was really becoming concerned by her silence, and Harry's as well. Still, Harry seemed to have become determined and silent opposed to Ginny's heartbroken silence. Hermione held back a sigh, wishing that this train ride were as noisy and fun as previous ones had been.

Yet, with Ron trying to keep their sullen best friend company in another compartment, and Ginny the only other occupant of this one, Hermione's wish had little hope of coming true. Hermione was starting to wonder if she could possibly find someone willing to sit with Ginny so she could go check on Harry and Ron, when the redheaded boy walked in. "Hey girls. Harry said he just wanted to be alone for a while. He said he thought you two might want some company."

"That was sweet of him, but are you sure Harry should be left alone?" asked Hermione, noting that Ginny didn't even look up at her brother.

"He didn't say a word to me until he asked to be left alone. I think that he just wanted some time to think by himself." Ron sat down beside Hermione, the pair seemingly agreeing to let Ginny sulk if she wanted to.

After they had sat speaking quietly for ten minutes or so, Ginny vaguely stood up and excused herself to go to the loo. Ignoring the sad and slightly startled looks Ron and Hermione gave her, Ginny walked out and slid the door shut behind her. As soon as she was alone in the hall, Ginny lost her depressed demeanour and strode off toward the very last compartment, knowing that it would contain exactly one occupant. He was waiting for her there.

Harry looked sadly up when the door opened, but a huge grin took over his face when he saw Ginny there. She shut the door and locked it behind her, smiling back at him. "Those were the longest minutes of my life, sitting listening to Hermione natter on about how I should try and keep my chin up."

"Yeah, well at least you didn't have to deal with Ron. He can't decide if he more wants to be your big brother or my best friend," Harry told Ginny as he pulled her onto his lap.

"Be nice to my big brother!" cried Ginny, not really upset, but teasing her boyfriend. "Honestly, I don't know why I lie to my friends and family just to date you!" with a smile, Ginny kissed Harry's cheek.

"Because we love each other and you know that I'm worth it!" Harry teased her back. "Or maybe you just want to brag that you can make the 'Boy Who Lived' do your bidding."

"Well, at least your last reason is a good one," teased the redhead, "Though its less effective because everyone thinks we broke up."

Stealing a long kiss, her boyfriend smiled happily at her. "We really are rather brilliant, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are. If no one knows we're together, we avoid a whole slew of issues," agreed Ginny. "Just learn your Occlumency lessons like a good boy, and our plans will go perfectly. If you do that, then no one could possibly know about us, and Voldemort will never know to target me."

"And besides that, your brothers won't know to do anything either," Harry said before kissing his girlfriend deeply. They had only a little time, and neither planned to waste it. Ginny sat firmly snuggled in Harry's arms, connected to him by their lips. Their hands explored each other as they had a few times in secret before and after their supposed break-up.

Long minutes later, the young redhead pulled back. She stared up into the emerald eyes before her, wishing she didn't have to go, but knowing that the others would soon begin to wonder where she had gone and what she was up to. "Harry, I have to go. They'll come looking for us soon."

"Stay, just stay," the raven-haired reluctant celebrity half ordered, half begged as he pressed his lips to her neck. "We'll lock them all out and just stay here together forever."

"Don't make this harder, love," begged Ginny, finally standing up on her own and straightening her clothes as she walked to the compartment door.

"How long until I see you again?" asked Harry forlornly.

"Maybe sooner than you think," with that and another quick kiss, Ginny left.

As she slipped back into the compartment she had been sharing with Hermione until Ron was sent to visit them by Harry, Ginny remembered to look sad and upset. When she walked in, she found that her friend and her brother looked as though they had just sprang apart. Both had burning faces and each looked a little rumpled.

Pretending that she was too absorbed in her own misery to even notice, Ginny sat down across from the pair and hid her smile behind a curtain of red hair. Watching covertly, the girl saw Hermione trade a worried look with Ron, and knew that the scam she and Harry had cooked up was working, even against their closest friends. A part of her felt bad to be deceiving and worrying the pair, but Ginny just told that part that being with Harry was worth it. Sure her family might be upset if they ever found out, but Ginny doubted they would. Harry would learn his Occlumency, defeat Voldemort and then they could tell everyone that they had decided to get back together. The plan would work, because it had to.

Ginny needed Harry, and she knew he needed her too. He couldn't be allowed to push her away based on some silly notion of keeping her safe. The way things were planned, Voldemort would never know that Ginny had ever meant anything to his teenage enemy, even if he used spies within the Order or any other unpleasant and underhanded trick. Ginny and Harry had even found a way around sending owls to each other or not keeping in touch.

After much searching, they had found a spell that allowed them to communicate through a pair of small mirrors that Harry had found in a junk shop in Hogsmeade. The spell had let them speak to each other in the weeks before Dumbledore's death, mostly after hours, in their beds. Now they intended to test the magic's limit by putting the distance of Little Whinging to Ottery St. Catchpole between them. With any luck, the spells would also stand the distance when Ginny returned to Hogwarts next September and Harry went elsewhere.

Ginny was tempted to shake her head to rid herself of thoughts of the distance that would soon be put between herself and her boyfriend. She preferred to think about ways to get him alone again before the train stopped and the foul Dursleys came to take him away. The perfect opportunity occurred to her when she saw a dirty blonde head stroll past the window. She stood vaguely again, and turned to the two who were sitting as far apart as possible, and looking anywhere but at each other. "I'm going to see Luna. She still hadn't found one of her textbooks when I last talked to her, and I want to know if she got it back."

Ginny could tell that neither believed that she was worried about the textbook, but they let her go, and that was the important part. They would probably use the time to either snog or avoid talking about the fact that they had been caught at least twice snogging that Ginny knew of. Hermione would likely want to talk, and Ron would likely kiss her again to make her stop speaking, so they could end up doing a little of both. Ginny didn't really care, so long as she could go and snog Harry senseless. Who knew, there were still a few hours left, maybe they would do more than that…

"Okay, Ginny. I hope she cheers you up a little," Hermione said with a bit of a smile. Ginny waved vaguely in reply as she walked out.

Without turning to look back even once, Ginny rushed to Harry's compartment again. This time she didn't so much as say 'hi' before she locked the door and tackled Harry. There hands fumbled with buttons and snaps until they lay on the floor, hands stroking bare flesh only obscured by under garments. Ginny's red hair spilled over them as the tangled in each other's limbs. Harry's tongue found the tops of her breasts and her hands buried themselves in his hair. She stroked him through his boxers, and he groaned. Then he retaliated by pinning her hands above her head, lying flat out on top of her and letting his lips go to work on her neck.

Then came a knock on the sealed door. A female voice called Harry's name, and the couple froze on the floor. Then they sprang apart, sorting out their clothing hurriedly. "She'll want to come in," hissed Ginny.

"I know, I know," muttered Harry, tugging his robes closed over his undone shirt and unzipped pants. Then he shoved Ginny's clothing into her arms and threw the invisibility cloak over her, pushing her into a seat. "Just a sec Hermione, I feel asleep and lost my glasses."

"Okay, Harry," Hermione called back.

Scuffling to undo the locking spell, Harry finally opened the door for his best friend. "What brings you here?" he asked, affecting to look sad.

"Just checking on you," Hermione said as Harry took the seat next to Ginny, hoping Hermione would choose to sit next to him.

"Why do you have to check on me?" asked Harry grumpily. "I'm sure you and Ron and Ginny were getting on fine, and so was I."

Though he had only meant to convince Hermione that he didn't know that Ginny wasn't with them, or where she might possibly be, Harry ended up convincing Hermione that he was lonely and she resolved to stay with him for the rest of the trip. "Actually, it was getting a little uncomfortable in the other compartment. Ginny left for a second, and Ron and I ended up kissing. Then when she came back, everything went silent and just so awkward. Besides, I like sitting with you on the train. I don't even mind talking to you despite the fact that you've grown so surely."

All Harry really wanted was to tell Hermione to scram, but he knew that she would suspect something was up. So, for nearly the rest of the journey, Harry sat and talked with Hermione. If he hadn't been so concerned that she would find Ginny, Harry would likely have enjoyed the time they spent together. Hermione really was a good friend, and she hadn't been annoyingly superiorly intelligent in a while. Still, when Hermione mentioned that he was still in his robes with only twenty minutes of the ride left, Harry was relieved. He sent her out to change and Ginny whipped off the cloak. They both pulled on the muggle clothing they wore under their robes, Ginny pulling her black garment on and Harry throwing his set into his trunk. With a last kiss, Ginny ducked under the cloak and slipped into the hallway. Harry stood in the doorway as if to tell Hermione he was finished, and Ginny managed to get into an empty hallway to take the cloak off in. She hid it casually behind her back as she joined Ron in the compartment she had originally shared with Hermione.

Ron was asleep, so she was able to smuggle Harry's cloak into her trunk, along with her robes. The clunk of the closing lid awoke her brother just as they pulled into platform 9 ¾. The long summer suddenly stretched before Ginny as a pit of Harry-less misery. Well, that wouldn't do.

They would just have to make a reason to see each other before Ginny went back to school.


	2. Chapter 2: Further Schemes

**A/N:**** This one is edited and changed a bit now as well!**

**Chapter Two**

**Further Schemes **

"Mum, please let me go!" begged Ginny as her mother scrubbed dishes in the Burrow's kitchen. "You know I'll be much safer with my _muggle _friend and her _muggle_ parents than I would be even if we moved into the order Headquarters again this summer!"

"I don't know, Ginny. You-Know-Who seems to be targeting muggle families more and more now…" Mrs Weasley was hesitant to send her youngest child far away from her side when danger lurked so closely, despite the fact that her only daughter was finally showing an interest in someone who wasn't Harry Potter. In the week that she had been home from school, Ginny had done little but mope around looking sad. Ron had finally told his mother that Harry had just broken up with Ginny, and Mrs Weasley didn't even have the heart to yell because that was the first she knew of the pair dating.

"But mum, I was really hoping to spend some time with Sarah! Her family is going on vacation in another week and won't be back until its time to start school again!" moaned Ginny piteously.

"Fine," replied Mrs Weasley, relenting because of the interest her daughter showed. "When and where do you want to be dropped off?"

"I thought it would be easiest if I took the Knight Bus," Ginny replied, ecstatic that her mother had said yes.

"I suppose so, dear," sighed Mrs Weasley, hoping that she wouldn't regret sending her daughter to visit her friend who lived in a little town somewhere in Surrey. "Now, go owl your friend and tell her that you'll arrived at her house the day after tomorrow."

Kissing her mother briefly on the cheek, Ginny fled to her room to get in touch with the person she would be spending the next week with. Ginny skipped up the stairs, past her very puzzled brother, Ron. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw his mother, and hoped that she could explain Ginny's suddenly non-depressed actions. "What's with Ginny?" he asked eloquently.

"Oh, a muggle-born friend just invited her to stay with her next week. I said she could go," replied Mrs Weasley, settling across the table from her youngest son, glad that Ginny seemed so enthused about her visit.

"Really? Ginny will be gone next week?" asked Ron interestedly.

"That's what I said, dear," Mrs Weasley replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, then next week would be the perfect time to invite Harry over! That way he can spend some time with some decent people, and he and Ginny won't be tripping over each other, acting like they don't miss each other and such stupid stuff!" Ron was proud of his idea, and sure that Hermione would like it as well. All the letters she had sent Ron since the start of summer had mentioned how worried she was about Harry, who had been depressed even before he reached the Dursley's house this year.

"That's a wonderful idea, Ron. Why don't you write and invite both Harry and Hermione to come the day after tomorrow. That's when Ginny leaves," explained Mrs Weasley.

"Okay," Ron said with a smile, getting up to do as his mother suggested.

After he left, Mrs Weasley smiled to herself. She was relieved that this summer was progressing as so many before it had. Still, she worried how long that could last when a war had broken loss in the wizarding world, with Harry at its centre. In all likely hood, her own son would be there as well, before long. After all, one could only help one's best friend defy a dark lord so many times before that dark lord took notice.

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"Harry?" whispered Ginny excitedly as she stared into the little mirror he had given her. Their plan was working out incredibly well, and he would be so happy to hear it. Ginny was glad that she was able to give him a little happy news while he was in that hateful place.

"Hi, love," Harry greeted her, as his face appeared in the glass, "What did your mum say?"

"She said yes!" cried Ginny quietly. "I arrive day after tomorrow, on the Knight Bus!"

"That's great!" Harry told her, and then he appeared to glance around the frame that surrounded the glass. "Why is it so dark on your end?"

"Oh," Ginny said with a slight blush, "I'm in my closet." Harry gave her a startled look, so Ginny went on, "Well, I refuse to be caught now, not when I'm just about to see you again, to spend a whole week with you alone! Don't you dare laugh, either, Harry Potter!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Gin." Harry's amused smile faded and he jerked his head to look back over his shoulder. "I've got to go, someone's coming!"

"I love you!" called Ginny softly, and he replied in kind before both ended the magical connection.

In his bedroom, Harry slid the mirror in his pocket just before his uncle walked in. The man looked seriously upset, as he did every time he saw Harry, and his nephew was fighting to keep a look of disgust off his face at that moment. The Dursleys had never been pleasant, but the closer Harry was to the freedom of his seventeenth birthday, the worse they seemed.

"Boy, while we're gone on holiday next week, you'll paint the kitchen, as well as the other chores I already told you about. You will not laze around our home, just because we're not here!" growled Vernon Dursley.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry ground out, glad that the Dursleys would be gone and ecstatic that Ginny would be staying with him, though he was careful not to show the least sign of happiness to his uncle.

"Good. Now your aunt wants you to get down there and help her cook supper." That said, Harry's uncle left, and the sixteen-year-old wizard slowly followed him. He didn't really mind cooking on his own, but with his aunt in the kitchen too, Harry would be forced to listen to her complaints and gossip the whole time. The Boy-Who-Lived would have been happy to cook for his relatives on his own, if only for the benefit of sneaking a little food before Dudley could eat it all.

"Start chopping those carrots, now!" ordered Aunt Petunia as Harry entered the kitchen.

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Saturday morning, Ginny threw some clothing; a few books and some other necessities in an old worn leather bag, avoiding the urge to sing out happily. Her family would be surprised if all of her melancholy was cured by an invitation to stay with a friend they had never before heard her mention. Ginny refused to give them any reason to suspect that there was no 'Sarah Jameson' ever at Hogwarts, let alone one who was Ginny's closest friend.

So Ginny still threw the occasional depressed sigh out at meals, and still spent most of her time quietly in her room, despite the fact that she wanted to be singing and dancing around because her life was good. Harry and she were in love, and they were spending the next week together at his aunt's house. Life was good for Ginny Molly Weasley, and she wanted everyone to know it, despite the fact that the reason for her happiness had to be kept secret.

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Harry watched his aunt, uncle and cousin pull out of the driveway in Uncle Vernon's new car, trying to look completely natural, despite the fact that he had the mad urge to grin widely and wave the Dursleys on their way. The only thing that stopped him was the certainty of them turning around and shipping him off to spend the week with some person perhaps even less pleasant than themselves.

Harry was happier at this moment than he could ever remember. He didn't even really mind that his relatives had woken him at five to cook their breakfast so that they could catch their flight. He was already counting down the minutes until Ginny was due to arrive…


	3. Chapter 3: Ginny's Suspicions

A/N: As you may have guessed by now, I'm going through and editing this story and will probably finish doing so before I go on. Sorry about the delay that will cause in updates… But here I am editing the third chapter, and I'm sure it will be an improvement!

Chapter Three

**Arrival**

Harry was watching out the front hall window as he had been for nearly an hour. He was so anxious to see Ginny that he hadn't been able to do anything else, though she wasn't do for nearly fifteen minutes even after all his waiting. Sure, it was nice to have the house all to himself, without the Dursleys constantly annoying him, but Harry had a sneaking suspicion that sharing the place with Ginny would be nothing like sharing the place with his horrible relatives. Even with the thought of chores marring the next week, Harry knew that he would never be happier here then when Ginny was with him.

For the next few minutes, Harry allowed himself to daydream about the girl he loved, and he thanked his lucky stars that he had found a book that had enabled him to learn Occlumency a lot better then when Snape had taught him. Though he had asked Hermione to try her hand at Legilimency in hopes that she would be able to test his barriers the next time he saw her, Harry had also studied from his book. He didn't want his thoughts of Ginny to be unprotected from Voldemort for any longer than they absolutely had to be, but Harry didn't want to make Hermione learn both difficult magic any faster than she had too. Harry figured that he had improved significantly, if only because he had actually been willing to practice this time around, but he still would feel easier when he had someone testing his defences.

Suddenly a brief flash of purple and the tingling sense of magic in the air caught Harry's attention, and he looked up to see a gorgeous redhead looking up at the house. Ginny was probably checking the house number, trying to find number four. Harry was up and to the door in seconds, opening it before Ginny was even half way up the garden path. "Ginny!" he called, his heart jumping in his chest. A half-crazy grin of pure joy lit his face, and a matching expression appeared on Ginny's.

"Harry!" she responded, running to hug him. The two quickly slipped into the house, and then they kissed.

Staring into his deep emerald eyes, Ginny melted into him. They stood a long while, entwined in each other, tongues clashing. When they finally pulled their mouths apart, Ginny rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "So, you want something to eat or drink?" Harry offered, stroking her sparkling red hair, not sure if he would even be willing to let her go long enough to get either of them so much as a snack even if they were both starving to death.

"Sure," replied Ginny, who was extremely hungry because she had been to excited to eat properly ever since her plan to come to Harry's place for the week had been approved. The pair linked hands and went into the kitchen, walking so closely together that they nearly tripped over each other's feet.

"Alright. Well, I doubt the Dursleys left me much, but I think there is probably some disgusting diet foods and maybe some sugarless fruit juices," Harry told Ginny, crossing to the fridge. He opened the modern appliance to reveal just what he had predicted: very little.

"Water is fine with me," Ginny said with a smile, masking the annoyance she felt towards people who would leave their own nephew to starve for a week. They couldn't even have expected him to order in because Ginny knew that the Dursleys thought Harry was completely penniless.

"What the lady wants, she gets," Harry said with an answering smile. He poured two glasses, and handed one to Ginny. "I thought I'd warn you right off, my uncle left a list of chores for me while they were gone. Unfortunately, I had better do them at some point."

"No problem. How many times have you de-gnombed our garden? I plan to pay you back this week," Ginny said with much more genuine smile, thinking of the times that she had watched him from her bedroom window as he had helped her brothers rid the garden of the pests.

"Totally not going to happen. They're my chores, and I'll do them. Now," Harry said firmly, "Do you want to sit down?"

"Sure," Ginny replied, silently promising herself that she would make sure to help Harry if she had to do his chores for him well he slept and pretend that house-elves had broken in during the night and done it.

"Okay, where?" asked Harry, "Maybe in here, or maybe the living room if you want…"

"Why not the living room?" asked Ginny, thinking of snuggling with Harry on a comfy couch.

"Okay," Harry said with a smile that seemed slightly faked to Ginny for no reason she could think of.

The pair went into the fancy room, and to Ginny's surprise, Harry sat across from her instead of beside her on the couch as she had hoped. They sat in silence for long moments, and things became awkward quickly. Ginny was confused. There were never awkward moments when she was with Harry, they just didn't happen. Because of that, Ginny was totally unprepared to work through it, and so the pair sat. Harry was visibly uncomfortable, and Ginny just couldn't understand _why._

"Are you alright, Harry?" asked Ginny finally, after long minutes of awkwardly sitting across from him.

"Er, yeah," he said, gulping his water quickly, and glancing around a bit nervously.

Ginny followed Harry's sporadic gaze for a moment before she suddenly realized what was bothering him so much. It was the room they were in. There wasn't one picture of him, and millions of his cousin and his aunt and uncle. The room was meticulously neat, and it felt as though Harry wasn't even familiar with it. "Harry, do you want to go some where else?" she asked.

"Yes," he said in relief so complete that it nearly hurt. "How bout my room, or the kitchen?"

So it wasn't a case of Harry not being at home in his aunt's house. It was as though he wasn't supposed to be in this room, as though it had been off limits. Ginny wondered if the only two rooms Harry felt at ease in were the kitchen and his room. If so, why those two? One would think that the kitchen was likely where he spent the most time with the Dursleys, and Ginny would have thought that that would have filled it with bad memories for Harry if any room was. There seemed to be much more to the mystery of Harry's relationship with his only living relatives than she had ever realised before…

"Why not the kitchen. I'm nearly done my water, and we can leave our glasses there when we're done," Ginny suggested. Harry leaped up and scarcely waited for Ginny to rise before he left the room.

"Do you want a snack?" he asked, moving towards the cupboards as Ginny sat at the kitchen table.

"Sure," Ginny agreed, mostly because Harry seemed to want to make her one, not because the fridge full of wilted lettuce had looked very appealing earlier.

"How about an omelette?" he asked.

"Can you cook that?" she asked, a little taken aback. None of her brothers would have dreamed of making much more than a sandwich.

"Sure, I can. In fact," said Harry as he pulled things from the fridge and cupboards, "That's about all I can think of making with all this rabbit food."

"What's with all the diet food?" asked Ginny curiously, "Do they think you need to lose weight?"

"If you'd ever seen my cousin, you wouldn't ask," Harry told her with a bitter smile. "For the past two summers, I haven't eaten much here besides grapefruit and stale sweets."

"That sucks," Ginny said, liking the Dursleys even less, though she would have sworn that that wasn't possible.

"Yeah, well, I always got to eat your mother's cooking, except the summer before my third year. Then I ate at the Leaky Caldron or some place in Diagon Alley. Of the two, I have to say your mother's food is better, if only because I could have as much as I wanted," Harry said, his back to her as her cooked the omelettes, "And usually even more than that."

"She's good about food, that's for sure," Ginny agreed, not missing the fact that the Dursleys obviously limited how much he ate of even the bits of carrots and whatever else the family dined on.

"Here you are, love," said Harry, putting a plate before her.

Ginny took a bite, not expecting much, and deciding that she should probably cook for him this week. She would get as many good meals into him as was possible in the next week. Ginny didn't even realise how like her mother that intention made her. Instead, the omelette was so good that she decided that he should cook instead. "This is so good!" she exclaimed, eating another hot mouthful.

"Yeah, well, practice makes perfect," said Harry with a wry grin.

"You must have had a lot of practice then!" she praised him in between bites, not really thinking about what she said.

"Every day of my life from the time I could see over the stove until September of the year I turned eleven, plus a lot of summers after that," Harry told her. "Anyway, I think that we'll need a trip to the grocery in order to survive the week. I have some pasties and things from the train, but I won't subject you to those."

"Sounds good, but where do we get muggle money?" asked Ginny, who was rather troubled that he had been expected to cook for his relatives when he was so young.

With a hard frown, Harry replied, "I know where my cousin stashes the money he and his gang take from the neighbour hood kids. I don't feel the least bit bad using some of it to feed us."

"Won't he notice?" asked Ginny, worried that her presence would cause Harry problems with his cousin when he returned.

"Nah, Dudley's not good with numbers, he'll just think he miscounted before, if he even bothers to look close enough," Harry said, his scowl thickening, "He doesn't need the money they take, they just do it because they can."

"Then to the market we go," Ginny said, glad that the nervous tension had been left behind in the living room, and sure that the rest of her visit would probably be spent in the two rooms Harry felt comfortable in. Still, that gladness was tinged by sadness at the thought that it was necessary for Harry's comfort that he stay out of most of the other rooms in the house. Ginny decided to just focus on being with Harry for the week though, in whatever room he wanted to be in.

And the fact that she would be spending so much time in Harry's bedroom didn't worry her in the least…


	4. Chapter 4: Innterupted

**A/N: Introducing the new and improved Chapter Four: Interrupted! (He he he! At this rate, I'll be done editing much sooner than I thought I would be!)**

**Chapter Four**

**Interrupted**

Harry and Ginny ate a good meal that they prepared together that first night, laughing all the while. It felt deliciously forbidden and entirely right for both of them to be spending time alone together, cooking for each other and talking about light subjects. They both knew that time to just talk freely was likely to be limited while Ginny's family thought that she and Harry were on the outs, which was likely the most regrettable, but entirely essential element of their plot. Still, they could pretend in this house that there was no Voldemort, no war and that Ginny's family knew where she was and were all thrilled that she was spending time with the boy she loved. They weren't fifteen and sixteen; they were adults who loved each other.

Maybe it was the feeling of domestic rightness that led them to forget about the sleeping bag Harry had laid out on the floor of his bedroom for himself, and instead fell together to his bed. They had decided to turn in early, get up first thing in the morning and get all the chores done so they could spend the rest of the week together with nothing looming over them. After much friendly argument, Harry had agreed to let Ginny help him so that they could finish everything quickly.

Alas, they had forgotten going to sleep early, along with the sleeping bag, and were well on the way to occupying themselves all night long in the small bed.

Ginny's clothes were almost entirely off, and Harry's were nearly gone as well, when a loud hooting interrupted. Both sprang apart like the guilty teens they suddenly were again and looked around the room to see Ron's owl pig twittering and perched atop Hedwig's cage. Both groaned, but their thoughtless oblivion was shattered, and they pulled their clothes on again. Harry relieved the small owl of his burden and stared down at Ron's messy scrawl, hating that his best friend could tear him away from Ginny without even knowing they were together.

'_Dear Harry,_

'_Ginny's gone for a week, and I was thinking you might like to spend some time here before she gets back. Of course the Order will want to send you back there until your birthday, but I thought you might like a bit of sanity and people you don't hate.'_

'_Hermione's coming, and she says she's nearly done the book you wanted her to read. Anyway, owl when you know when you want to be picked up.'_

Ron' 

Harry didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He showed the note to Ginny, who emitted a sound that was half groan, half laugh. "That's my idiot of a brother! Write him back and say that you're staying right here. I worked too hard to get you to myself to let you go that easily."

"What if I want to go?" asked Harry, just to be contrary.

"Well, then you'll not get the special surprise I planned, now will you?" asked Ginny with a wink.

"That settles it. I'm gone," Harry said with a smile, "I've hated surprises ever since Dudley and his gang surprised me with a broken arm for my eighth birthday."

Ginny instantly forgot everything else, and gave him a hug, asking what they could possibly have done to break his arm when they were so young. "Well, they only meant to bruise me a little. They got in a circle around me, and Dudley went on about being so sorry that he had forgotten to get me a present and then they started pushing. I managed to run and climb the monkey bars, but then one of them climbed up after and pushed me off. But," Harry said, shrugging off the past injury, "What should I tell your brother to keep him away? Won't it seem weird if I suddenly want to spend time with my cousin?"

"Well, just tell him that they've gone on a bit of a trip, and left you a bunch of chores that you have to get done. Ron knows that you'll really be in for it, if you don't do them," offered Ginny, rummaging for a nightshirt in her bag and coming out with a bright orange shirt that had once belonged to Ron. "You write back, I'll go change. I'm ready for some sleep."

While Ginny was gone, Harry sat down and wrote to Ron.

'_Ron,_

'_I'd like to stay with you, but the Dursleys went to visit Uncle Vernon's sister, and left me with a bunch of things to do. If I don't do the chores, there's no telling what the Dursleys will do. They might kick me out, and you know Dumbledore wanted me to stay here until my birthday.'_

'_Pathetic, isn't it? The bloody 'boy who lived' worrying about being kicked out of this stupid house by a man he hates. Imagine what they would say in the papers. How can a boy who's afraid to upset his uncle save our world?'_

'_Anyway, it's not so bad here without the Dursleys. I'll see you at the wedding, but I think Dumbledore would have wanted me to stay.'_

'_I'll plan for our trip, and you get to worry about telling your mum that you're not going back for seventh year. Who would have thought that having no adults who care about you would come in handy?'_

_Harry'_

He nearly scratched out the bit about being pathetic, as well as the last line. He had meant it a bit of a joke, but Harry wasn't sure how Ron would take it. But then Ginny came back and Harry decided just to send Pig on his way.

After all, Ron knew Harry well enough to know that he didn't really think he had no one. Harry had the Weasleys and Hermione, and a few members of the order. And, most importantly, he had Ginny.

Of course, they were the only two people who knew that he had her, but still, Ron knew that Harry wouldn't put something that revealing in a letter.

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"Mum, we can't leave him there on his own!" cried Ron in despair.

"Harry said he didn't want to come until the wedding. It sounds as though he wants to be left alone!" argued the red haired mother.

"Would you feel that way if he hadn't broken up with Ginny?" asked Ron, clearly upset.

"I- well, maybe not, but Ginny has been so sad…" stammered Mrs Weasley.

"Harry, too, mum." Ron told her.

When the older woman's face softened, Hermione stepped forward with a bit of parchment in her hand. "Read this, Mrs Weasley, and I think you'll see that Harry really can't be left on his own."

Ron stared at horror at the letter Harry had sent him, unable to believe Hermione had just handed it to his mother. He hadn't even told her about their plans for next year! Now she was going to find out from someone else! He was without a doubt doomed, and it was all the fault of his two best friends.

"Alright, go pack you two," Mrs Weasley said, handing the parchment to Hermione, her eyes watery.

Hermione towed Ron to the stairwell, as he waited for the explosion. When it didn't come, Ron looked at the girl beside him in wonder. "Isn't she going to yell about Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes, "I changed the wording before I handed it to her! All she thought it said was 'you just worry about not doing anything to upset your mother. Who would have thought that having no adults who care about you would come in handy?' Did you honestly think I would have let her find out that way?"

"Hermione, you're bloody brilliant!" Ron said, leaning over and kissing her. She seemed surprised at first, but then she kissed him back. The handful of kisses they had shared had all started similarly. One of them would lean over all of a sudden, and then the other would kiss them back.

Eventually they knew they would get around to talking about things between them, but for the moment, both were content to just surprise each other with the occasional kiss. There was some sort of unspoken agreement between them, that they wouldn't date anyone else, and that they would start dating each other. Eventually.

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Harry had spent nearly as much time staring at Ginny as he had spent painting white walls an even brighter white. With her red hair pinned back messily, wearing one of his old t-shirts knotted just under her breasts, and a pair of skimpy cut off shorts, Ginny was the sexiest girl Harry had ever seen. She was working hard, and between them, they had finished almost all Harry's chores in one morning. They'd eaten a quick lunch and then started to paint.

They would be done soon, and Harry planned to cook a big celebratory supper for them both the next night. With that in mind, he stopped staring and went back to painting. A short while later, they put down their brushes. Ginny cleaned them up as Harry made them both salads and sandwiches. They had agreed to keep it simple tonight because they were both tired. After they had eaten, they sat comfortably in the kitchen holding hands and talking. Both looked puzzled when the bell rang, Ginny sat on the bottom of the steps, where she wouldn't be seen as Harry opened the door.

She jumped up a moment later when Harry said "Ron! Hermione!" in a stunned voice.


	5. Chapter 5: Harry at Home

**A/N: This will be the third chapter I've edited today! Everyone who is waiting for an update should appreciate that fact!**

**Chapter Five**

**At Home with Harry**

Harry's heart beat incredibly fast. There was no way around this one. Hermione and Ron were both standing on the doorstep of number four, Privet Drive, and Ginny was in the house just behind him. They didn't know she was here, didn't know she even had a reason to be here. Nothing was going in their favour, not the fact that there were signs of a second presence in the dishes in the kitchen sink nor the sleeping bag and girl's clothing littering his bedroom floor. Not even the fact that the last Harry had seen her, Ginny's body had been scarcely covered by one of his shirts and a barely-there pair of cut off shorts.

"What are you doing here?" asked Harry staring at his two best friends, not yet ready to let them in to find Ginny somewhere she definitely wasn't supposed to be.

"We came to stay with you for a few days, maybe help you with your chores," Hermione told him, thinking his reaction was purely fuelled by shock, without the guilt that was actually a big part of it.

"But the Dursley's…" Harry trailed off, realising that he had told Ron that his relatives were gone. Nothing was going in his favour.

"They'll never know, unless of course we stand out here long enough to catch the neighbours' attention. I don't doubt they'll mention to your aunt that you had visitors," said Hermione with a bit of a smile. She had always had trouble believing that Harry's family could possibly treat him as poorly as he sometimes mentioned. It wasn't that she didn't believe him; Hermione just assumed he exaggerated.

"Come in, then," Harry said, preparing to duck any spells or fists that came his way when Ron caught sight of the scantily clad youngest Weasley.

When nothing happened for a whole minute, Harry looked around. He saw that the hallway was miraculously empty. Not a red head in sight, except for Ron. His heart lightened a little, and he hoped Ginny was well hidden, because he doubted that his friends would be willing to leave quickly. "So, umm, why don't you two sit down in the living room, and I'll get you a drink. I've been living off water, but I'm sure there's some sort of frozen juice mix in the freezer," Harry said to give himself a bit more time. He quickly fled the damned living room, cursing the fact that it was probably safest to spend some time in there with the pair. Maybe if he kept them entertained long enough, Ginny would be able to hide all signs of her presence in the house.

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Ginny fled up the stairs as fast as she could. How could her brother have just shown up like that! Didn't he have any manners?

Once in Harry's room, she stuffed all her things into her bag and set it by the door, she next grabbed the sleeping bag that Harry had used and stuffed it under is bed. She looked around to make sure nothing of hers had been left out. Then Ginny clutched her bag to her chest and pulled out the invisibility cloak that she had just returned to Harry and covered her self in it.

On silent feet, Ginny eased out the bedroom door, and to the steps. She had worked her way half way down silently when Harry hurried out of the living room and into the kitchen. Ginny followed him, hoping he had left his friends on the couch while he grabbed them a drink or something. She entered the kitchen and made sure they were alone before taking off the cloak.

"There you are!" hissed Harry in relief, pulling Ginny to him. "What do we do?"

"Get them out of here tomorrow at the latest!" she responded. "Do you think that Hermione should sleep in the guest room?"

"I only have on sleeping bag," Harry said with a grin. "Well, one that I'm willing to use at any rate. I once found some nasty magazine's of Dudley's rolled up in the other one and I refuse to let any decent human near it again."

"Alright, Ron and you in your room, Hermione in the guest room. Where do I go?" Ginny asked, leaning back in Harry's embrace just far enough to see his face.

"Are you afraid of spiders?" he asked with a strange look on his face.

"No, but what does that matter?" responded Ginny.

"A great deal. I think I know where you can stay if you don't mind small, slightly dark spaces and spiders," Harry said with an odd, bitter twist of the mouth.

"Okay, I can deal with that," Ginny told him, "What's the plan?"

"You stay on the steps, I'll bring them into the kitchen, so I can close a door between them and us while I help you move into my cupboard,"

"_Your _cupboard, Harry?" she asked, curious.

"Now is not the time to go into it," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Just go wait on the stairs."

"All right, but do you want me to do something about the dishes firs?" she asked.

"I'll just throw them in the dishwasher," Harry said, as he pulled Ginny close for a brief kiss before sending her off.

After loading the dishes, pulling out a pitcher of the juice he and Ginny had made up for breakfast, and setting that and three glasses on the table, Harry went to fetch his friends. "Guys, I hate this room, why don't we sit in the kitchen," Harry offered.

"Why do you hate a room?" asked Ron, as both followed him into the kitchen.

"Bad memories," Harry said darkly.

"Oh," said Ron, not sure whether he wanted to ask or not.

"You two sit, I'll just go put these paint cans away," Harry told them when they reached the surgically white kitchen of number four Privet Drive.

"We'll help you carry them, Harry," said Hermione as she and Ron both gabbed an empty pail and some of the other painting paraphernalia before he could protest. "Where to?"

"Cupboard under the stairs, I guess," Harry said, leading the way, trying to think of a reason that he could send his friends back to the kitchen and remain behind for even a second. Harry pulled open the door, deposited his cans and stepped back.

"Why's there a bed all set up in here?" asked Hermione a little sharply.

"This is where I slept until I was eleven," Harry said. "It'd probably still be my bedroom if the address on my Hogwarts letter hadn't mentioned my cupboard. I think that scared my uncle into thinking that a bunch of wizards were going to come after him for locking me in there." Harry's laughter was bitter as he waited for his friends to put their cans down and step away. He pushed the door shut when they were done, saying, "I think I might go wash my hands. I'm still all paint covered. Why don't you two go sit down?"

They went, very quietly, as though they had seen something horrible in the cupboard under the stairs. And perhaps they had: Harry's childhood.

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"Gin," Harry called quietly, and she slipped off the cloak. There were tears in her eyes, and she was about to say something to him. He put a finger to her lips, "Not now, not with them in the next room. Just crawl into the cupboard, and I'll come back to talk after they fall asleep. It might be late; I don't know if they'll want to talk. I love you," he said, all at a whisper. "Sorry about the paint cans, but don't worry, the fumes won't hurt you. There should be a flashlight hidden under the bed, so it won't be so dark, plus a few books hidden there, too. Oh, and if anyone goes up the stairs, close your eyes against the dust."

Harry left Ginny to wonder just how he knew that being shut in a small cupboard with paint fumes wouldn't cause one any damage. She cried quietly for the little boy who had spent years in this cupboard under the stairs, and resolved that she would make up for all the pain his crummy relatives had ever caused him.

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"If we'd known they were going to back tomorrow, we would have come earlier. We had meant to keep you company in this house all by yourself," Hermione told Harry that night as they climbed to stairs to go to bed.

"That's alright," Harry said, impressed with the fact that he had been able to come up with a solution that got them out early the next morning and a reason why all the chores he had written them about would be done. "It's not so bad here without the Dursleys, and being in one room most of the time is okay when it's by choice."

Hermione looked at him sadly, and Harry knew that he had once again revealed something that pulled on her heartstrings when he had only meant to make a joke, "I was kidding, Hermione. They only locked me in that room once or twice." Harry didn't mention that those times had been for weeks on end. He also didn't acknowledge that there were plenty of times that they had trapped him in his cupboard because that didn't really fall under the category of 'that room'. Harry was sick of Ron and Hermione trading looks that said 'poor Harry'. They'd always known that the Dursley's were nasty to Harry, why did it seem so much worse when they saw the proof rather then just hearing his bitter half jokes?

"Anyway, it's okay that they'll be back tomorrow," Harry said, "They decided a few years ago that the work they got out of me wasn't worth having me in their sight, so I can sit in my room and plan. We have a lot of plans to make, and only so much time to do it in." As soon as he realized that he had instigated another of those 'poor Harry' looks, the teen ploughed on with plans, trying to distract them. "I think we should wait until September until we head out."

"Good idea," said Ron, who sympathised with Harry's obvious desire not to be pitied because of the things the Dursleys had done to him in the past. In a few weeks, Harry would never have to think of them again.

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Ginny had heard the three conversing on the steps, but only a few of the words stuck with her. Slowly, she was amassing a picture of the life Harry's relatives had created for him in their home, and it became darker every time he let some new piece slip. She was glad that she had come to stay with him here, if only because now she knew something had to be done about the horrible muggles who had been allowed to treat Harry as if he were nothing but a lowly bit of scum.

And Ginny thought it only right that the girl who loved Harry more than life itself should be the one to school his family in what a wonderful boy he was…

Hours passed as Ginny thought up punishment after punishment for the wretched souls who had hurt her Harry, until suddenly the cupboard door creaked open. She tensed, then recognised Harry. He had brought with him a candle, and its light made his eyes sparkle green amidst the dancing shadows. "How are you?" he whispered, coming to sit next to her.

"Okay," Ginny replied, snuggling into his arms as he set the candle down on a box.

"They fell asleep fairly quickly. I think they were worn out by all the pitying they've done since they arrived." Harry's smile was a mix of amusement and bitterness.

"Forget about them, and the Dursleys for now. Just think about me," Ginny whispered as she kissed him gently. As their lips moved together, Ginny pulled and managed to tug his shirt up over his shoulders. Her lips left his briefly as she removed it entirely, then she let him remove the old t-shirt that she wore over her black bra. Then she shimmied out of her tight shorts to reveal matching knickers. His lips tugged at the skin of her neck, and she threw back her head. Her hands pulled open his jeans, and then as he stood to take them off, Ginny leaned in and instead did it herself.

Harry stood looking down at her, and was taken aback by her simple beauty. Her breasts weren't large, but the pale upper rise that was left bare by her skimpy bra was so inviting. He felt her hands in the waistband of his boxers, and suddenly, sadness and regret in his eyes, he knew that he couldn't sleep with her that night. She was so young, and he didn't want to rush her, and he didn't want her first time to be in a dusty old cupboard. "Ginny, stop," he said, "This isn't right. You're only fifteen, you don't really know what your doing."

"You're one to talk. You're sixteen and about to go off to try and kill a dark lord, a fully trained wizard! I'll I'm trying to do is make love to my boyfriend." With that, she leaned over and kissed him through his boxers. He stirred against her lips.

"Ginny," he said again, but not in protest this time. He pushed her down onto the narrow bed and straddled her legs. He leaned onto his elbows and fumbled with the clasp of her bra. Finally he opened it and tossed the garment away. He stared down at her, her eyes glazed with desire, her hair spilling around her, and her breasts unbound by anything. To only thing she wore now was the scrap of black covering her most private place. Then she reached down and devoid herself of even that.

Long slow moments later, Harry buried himself inside her, and for the first time ever, he felt at home in number four Privet Drive.


	6. Chapter 6: Alone at Long Last

**A/N: Fourth chapter edited in one day, which means that I should soon be back to actually writing this story!**

**Chapter Six**

**Alone at Long Last**

Harry Potter slipped out of the cupboard under the stairs in the wee hours of the night, leaving Ginny in a warm bed with only a lingering kiss to keep her company in the long hours before Hermione and Ron would leave. She snuggled under the covers, a soft smile on her lips, as she relived the past few hours. With a happy sigh, Ginny drifted off to sleep. Harry paused at his bedroom door, listening for any sounds with in his room. He heard only silence, which he gave further pause than a bit of noise would have. Where were Ron's snores?

Harry decided that there was nothing for it. He could hardly stand out in the hall all night, hoping that Ron would fall asleep. So, pushing the door quietly open, Harry picked his way over to his bed. Ron's back was to him, and Harry hoped he was asleep. He eased into his bed, and his head had barely touched the pillow that still smelled vaguely of Ginny, when Ron spoke up.

"Harry?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, Ron?" replied Harry, wondering if his luck had reached its end.

"Where were you?" asked the redheaded brother of the fifteen-year-old girl Harry had just slept with.

"Uh, I don't really sleep during the night," Harry said, with only a half formed idea of how to defend himself.

"You do at school," pointed out Ron.

"Well, I don't here. If I sleep during the day and stay up at night, I don't run into the Dursleys as often," Harry explained.

"Didn't you say that you had to cook for them?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, I make them breakfast then I head up here and nap. I don't really like being fully asleep when Dudley's around anyway," Harry said, making things up as he went along.

"Oh," said Ron, seemingly falling asleep again.

Harry tried to do the same, but thoughts of the girl sleeping in the cramped cupboard kept intruding. Harry had known for a while that he was completely in love with her, and now he was even beginning to think that she was the only girl he could ever possibly love. Her laughter and smiles made Harry instantly happy and when she felt even the slightest upset or pain, Harry found himself sick with remorse and upset. Besides that, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and she was smart and tough and powerful…

As far as Harry was concerned, Ginny was perfect. His only problem was in fact that he couldn't act like he thought she was perfect when anyone else was around.

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The next morning, Ron pulled Hermione aside in the hallway. Harry was in the kitchen, making them breakfast, and they were about to join them after packing their bags. Hermione looked around curiously at Ron then asked him what was up. His only response was to pull her farther from the kitchen door, and incidentally, closer the cupboard under the stairs. Ginny looked up from the book she was reading when she heard whispering. She eased towards the door, and turned off her light. In the darkness she sat with her ear pressed up to the door.

"What is it, Ron?" asked Hermione again, a little more urgently.

"I'm worried about Harry," explained the gangly redhead, "I woke up around eleven and Harry was gone. He didn't get back until nearly two in the morning!"

"Really?" asked Hermione, "Where could he have gone?"

"When he got back, I asked him and he said something about not sleeping at night when he's here…" offered Ron, not sure if he was betraying a confidence or not.

"Do you think he's having nightmares again?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know, I kind got the impression that he only didn't sleep when he was here. He mentioned something about not liking to be unconscious when his cousin is about. Maybe he's afraid of them…" Ron was clearly worried about Harry.

"I don't blame him. I never really thought that his family could be nearly as bad as Harry seemed to imply. Now that I've seen that cupboard and even his room," Hermione paused, chewing on her lip, "I think maybe they are even worse!"

"Can we really leave him all alone here to face these people on his own?" asked Ron. Ginny's heart began to beat faster. She didn't know what they would do if Ron and Hermione decided that they had to stay…

"I think we should at least talk to Harry about it." Hermione sounded decided and determined.

"Talk to me about what?" asked Harry, his voice joining the others in the hall. Ginny was relieved. Harry could take care of his overly worried best friends.

"Erm…" was all Ron said.

"We were wondering if you might not want some company even after your aunt and her family return," Hermione offered all in one breath.

"Uh, I don't think that would be such a great idea," Harry said, "My uncle wouldn't like the fact that I let you two come over while they were gone. Its probably better if we just let things go back to how they were before, when I ignored them and they ignore me except when they need something. They really haven't been too bad this summer…"

"You said they were gone for most the holidays so far," Ron pointed out.

"Gone is how I like them best," Harry told his friends flatly. "I'd rather not give uncle Vernon any reason to take notice of me, if at all possible. I might not duck fast enough one of these times."

When Hermione gasped, Harry knew he'd once again said the wrong thing. "Forget I said that. He's never really done much to me. Even Dudley and his gang only beat me up a few times. I'm pretty fast."

"That isn't at all reassuring, Harry!" cried Hermione.

"Look, what if I promise to owl you every day until the wedding, just so you know I'm alive," offered Harry with a sigh.

"We want you to be more than just alive, Harry! We want you to be happy," Hermione argued, "We want to make sure that those three evil creatures you're related to don't get another chance to put you in danger!"

"Good, we have a deal," Harry said while walking towards the kitchen, figuring that the best way to win any argument with Hermione was to not argue back.

Later, as they were walking out, Hermione held tightly to Harry for longer than he was really comfortable with. Ron just turned back to him and told Harry something that made him smile, even as he groaned. "You miss a letter even one day and I'll get all my brothers together and we'll come rescue you. We'll assume the worst and tell every Order member we can find."

And then Hermione and Ron were gone, unwittingly leaving Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter alone at long last.


	7. Chapter 7: First Date

**A/N: _Chapter seven has been edited for your reading pleasure…_**

**Chapter Seven**

**First Date **

Harry barely watched Ron and Hermione board the knight bus before he had spun around and hurried to open the door that concealed the cupboard under the stairs. Even as he caught sight of her, a surge of anticipation shot through him. Harry had never been surer that he was totally in love with Ginny than he was at that moment.

"Is the coast clear?" asked the redheaded teen with a teasing smile.

"I still can't believe that they just showed up!" cried Harry, pulling Ginny into a tight hug. When she smiled at him, Harry wanted nothing more than to kiss her deeply.

"They were worried. They probably thought that they would come and spend a few days, maybe just to reassure themselves that you hadn't gone after Voldemort yourself, or maybe to make sure you would be okay with the Dursleys until your birthday. Actually," a slight frown marred Ginny's forehead as a thought occurred, "They probably left less sure that you'd be okay then before they came. I think Hermione's finally woken up to the fact that your family has never treated you with even the least amount of respect. It was probably that damn cupboard that finally decided her. I know that when I saw it, I knew that those muggles are the scum of the earth!"

"I don't know," Harry said with a grin, "I know I have at least one very fond memory of it."

Ginny blushed and kissed Harry's cheek. "Glad to be of service," she teased.

"Well, if you really mean that, then there are a few rooms in this house that could do with a happy memory or two…" Harry suggested, half teasingly.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Harry said before leaning down to kiss her. As his tongue slid into her mouth, Ginny allowed her arms to snake up around his neck. His thumb caressed the small of Ginny's back as they stood entwined. Harry pulled the girl closer, bringing her flush against his growing erection. She moaned quietly, and eased his shirt over his head. Ginny trailed kisses down Harry's front, starting just below his jaw, and continuing until her lips brushed his pant's waistband. Her fingers stroked him through the layers of cloth, and he gasped. Harry leaned over to brace himself on the wall with Ginny kneeling before him, pulling his zipper slowly down. She rid him all his clothing, and then brushed shy fingers up and down his length.

Suddenly Harry pulled her until she was standing, pinned to the wall by his naked body. She made only one, whispered complaint: "Too many clothes," she said, her voice husky. Harry was only too happy to oblige her by removing the old shirt and short shorts that she wore. He fumbled briefly with the clasp of her bra, and then slid off her panties. Now he knelt before her, and Harry pushed her hips to wall, spreading her legs as he did. Harry trailed kisses on the insides of her thighs. He pressed one, very brief, kiss to her red curls, then Ginny pulled him upright again. Harry hooked her legs around him, and drove into her centre. Ginny gasped, and then urged him on.

Moments later, the pair slid down the wall, spent for the moment. They regained their breath and equilibrium before either spoke. "I could definitely use a shower," Ginny said, pushing hair from her sweaty brow.

"Me, too," Harry agreed.

"Want to share?" suggested the grinning fifteen-year-old girlfriend of the Boy Who Lived.

"Who knew Ginny Weasley was so insatiable?" teased Harry, scooping up his boxers and putting them on. Ginny pulled his shirt over her head and smiled at him.

"Are you turning me down?" she asked, knowing that he wasn't likely to.

"Hell, no!" he said, grabbing her hand and leading the way.

After they had showered, the pair settled down to eat. They kept up a steady conversation over dinner, arguing over which DADA teacher had been the absolute worst. Harry thought that there was a tie for worst between Snape and Umbridge, but Ginny thought that worst had to be Lockheart, mostly because she thought that everything that had to do with her first year was the worst.

Later that night, the pair fell into Harry's bed, neither even acknowledging the sleeping bag that Harry had used on the first night of her visit. After they had made love again, they held each other close, and slept. Ginny and Harry woke late the next morning for more of the same, setting the pattern until the very last evening before Ginny finally decided that she would go stir crazy if she didn't get out of the house. When she declared that, Harry looked up in surprise.

"Don't you ever get tired of not leaving this damn house? Hell, we're actually not even using the whole house, because we always stay in your room or the kitchen!" Ginny said, feeling very cooped up.

"I hadn't realised you felt that way. I just sort of got used to not leaving a while ago, particularly because there's not usually anywhere a person can go with out running into Dudley. Did you maybe want to go out to supper?" Harry asked.

"I would love to! Just let me pull on some jeans and a clean shirt," Ginny said happily, jumping up from the bed where she had been sitting with Harry to rummage in her bag.

"Are you going to where one of yours or mine?" asked Harry teasingly. He was actually quite fond of Ginny's habit of stealing his shirts, but he didn't feel she needed to know that.

"Mine! I have the perfect one, too!" Ginny told him, pulling a purple halter-top on, and tossing her bra aside. She had forgotten her strapless one, and besides, she really didn't ever have to wear one if she didn't want, as her chest was fairly small. She wore dark denim jeans now, and had pulled her long hair into a graceful ponytail. Harry thought she looked wonderful.

"Are you going to stare at me forever, or are you going to grab a clean shirt?" she asked, amused.

"Which one should I wear?" Harry had decided that Ginny probably cared more than he did what he wore, and that he always liked what she picked out for him.

"Wear the black t-shirt, Harry." Ginny told him, smoothing lip-gloss across her mouth. "Are you ready?"

"Sure am," said Harry, who still had enough muggle money left from grocery shopping earlier in the week that he didn't even have to stop to raid Dudley's room.

"Good, I'm ready for our first actual date!" Ginny told him excitedly.

"I hadn't really thought of it that way," Harry commented, with a bit of a grin as they walked down the quiet streets of Privet Drive.

"Well, don't, or you'll realise that I slept with you even before our first date," Ginny told him, earning a laugh in reply.

The pair ate in a small café not far from the Dursleys' home. They chatted and held hands and acted much like any teenaged couple on a date. They were walking back at sunset that night, before either brought up the fact that Ginny would have to soon leave or risk worrying her mother. "I guess we should think about hurrying back so I can pack," sighed Ginny.

"I suppose," Harry replied glumly. He had known that Ginny would leave that night, but it didn't seem possible that they only had a few hours left to be together.

They paused at the front door of Privet Drive. Neither wanted to go in, because then Ginny's bag really would have to be packed. She would leave, and then he would be alone with the Dursleys until his birthday allowed him the freedom to go to the Weasley's home. He would arrive two days prior to the event, and would spend the rest of the summer there, but what real chance would they have being alone? They couldn't even really tell the others to buzz off and give them so time, because they had to pretend that they weren't together, for the good of a lot of people. A feeling of complete hopelessness seized Harry and he grabbed Ginny, his mouth slanting across hers in a manner that seemed to demand that she make all the problems go away.

They stood kissing for quiet some time before one of them opened the door they had been leaning against and they fell through it, nearly landing on the hall floor. Harry pushed the door shut, closing off the view that the little old lady across the street had had of the young pair. She had followed them since they had passed her street a few blocks back, and now she stood, waiting for something else to happen. She stood there an hour, until the red headed girl who had been locked in the boy's arms came out. She was carrying a bag, and she walked down the street and out of sight around a corner. Only then did the lady return home, preparing to write a short letter.

Though she wrote her note with a ballpoint pen on an ordinary pad of paper, Arabella Figg took the envelope to the owl that had been left in her care by a wizard friend of hers. The note's was addressed to Remus Lupin and contained a report on all that she had seen a certain raven-haired teenage boy do over the course of the summer thus far.


	8. Chapter 8: Talking with the Werewolf

**Chapter Eight**

**Talking with a Werewolf**

The long fortnight between the night Ginny left and Harry's birthday stretched horribly. Though he spent most of his time confined to his room, Harry's relatives still found ample chances to make their snide comments and dig away at Harry. Finally, the very last night he would spend in his uncle's home arrived. Surprisingly, as Harry was making a last check of his room for any forgotten items, a knock sounded gently on his door.

"Come, in," called a nearly stunned Harry. The door opened to reveal his aunt.

"Lily, she gave me these," began Aunt Petunia, "I thought you might like to have them. I know that you're leaving in a few hours…"

"Uh, thanks," was the best Harry could manage as he took the lumpy bundle from the woman.

With her back to him, one hand on the doorknob, she said, "Sometimes I wish it could have been different…"

Harry sat on his bed, staring at the bundle for most of an hour, but his thoughts didn't centre on his mother, who had given her sister whatever the bundle contained, but his aunt, who had cared enough to keep it and to pass it on to him. There were a small number of times in Harry's childhood where he had been struck by the fact that Petunia Dursley was in fact his mother's sister, and suddenly Harry knew that his life with the Dursley's could have been even worse, had she not cared at least a little.

Even as the revelation struck, the time on his digital clock flipped to 12:01 am and Nymphadora Tonks appeared in his room. "Ready to go?" she asked quite briskly, for her.

Suddenly Harry decided that one more thing had to be done. "Wait," Harry asked. He pulled the one photo album he had full of his parents pictures out and selected a photo his mother alone. He scrawled a message on the back using a pen rather than waiting for the ink used by a quill to dry.

She loved you, and so do I 

Though the words were exaggerated, Harry had a feeling that his aunt would need them. He threw open the door, and rushed to the living room where his aunt sat knitting in a chair. Ignoring his uncle and cousin on the couch, Harry stood before Petunia and stooped to give her a hug. He dropped the photo on her lap, stood and rushed out.

"Let's go," Harry said to Tonks when he reached his room, and they did.

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Harry and Tonks arrived in a dark room that Harry knew to be a broom cupboard. The door was locked, but it was thrown open when Tonks knocked. The pair walked into the basement kitchen of the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters, where several Order members, as well as Hermione, Ron and Ginny greeted them. Harry smiled weakly as his hand was shook, and a few hugs were offered. Finally he found himself standing before Finny, wishing he could have greeted her as he wanted to rather than offering her an even weaker smile.

She responded in a very unexpected way, throwing a one armed hug around him. The had that was hidden between them snaked briefly to rub him through the material of his jeans. "Not mad anymore?" Harry asked when she released him, attempting to remind Ginny discreetly of their pretence.

"I was never mad, really. Maybe a little hurt, but at least I know it was all because you didn't want me to be killed. Now, I let you call off our relationship, but I still insist on being your friend," Ginny smiled, pleased with her idea, as it would allow them to 'innocently' spend time together.

"Er, all right," Harry replied, smiling a little and leaving quickly as Lupin called him over.

"Harry, you and I need to talk. Why don't you go settle your things in one of the bedrooms then meet me in the upstairs drawing room in a half-hour? Unless you're tired?" Finished Lupin as he glanced at the clock that read 1 am. "It's just that tomorrow we go to the Burrow for the wedding, and I don't know if we'll get the chance to talk any time soon…"

"Now's fine, just let me put my things somewhere," Harry said. He really didn't want to share a room with Ron this summer, even during their short stay here while to Burrow was too crowded with wedding guests to accommodate them. There was still the possibility that he might find a moment alone with Ginny, and that was all the more likely within the privacy of his own room…

"I'll help you carry your things, since I'm going up to my room. We all took our own rooms this year. I hope you don't mind, since this is your house now…" Ginny said, taking some of Harry's things from him.

"Whatever you lot want is fine," he replied, following her up. The pair dumped his things on the floor of his fourth story room. Harry had only seen one other door besides the one that lead to the staircase, and one that was opened to reveal another hallway. The moment that the door was closed, their mouths found each other, and their hands fumbled with clothing. Neither waited even long enough to remove their shirts.

Their desire built quickly, and exploded even faster, leaving the pair breathless on the bed. They lay entwined before long moments before Ginny gasped and hissed, "Harry! The door's not locked!"

Without any response, Harry staggered to his feet and pulled his want from his discarded jeans. He stopped suddenly when he heard knocking in the hallway. He realised suddenly that the visitor was at the door next to his, and he began to wonder who occupied that room. "Gin, whose room is next to mine?"

"Mine. We're the only ones on this floor, and no one's any higher-"

Harry cut off her reply, saying "You'd better get in there!"

"How? I can't Apparate!" she waited.

"We'll side-a-long," Harry said, grabbing hold of Ginny's arm and depositing her in her room before returning to his own.

Back by himself, Harry sighed his relief at not being caught. He threw on his jeans and decided to go to meet Lupin. He hadn't a clue what his former teacher wanted so badly to say, and he was interested to find out. As he exited his room, Harry noticed Ginny talking to Hermione outside hers. Nodding to the girls, he saw that Ginny now wore a pair of pyjama pants in addition to the t-shirt she had been wearing when he had last seen her. What with that, and her hair tousled from the path his fingers had worked in through it, Ginny was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. He wanted to take her in his arms again, only a few minutes after she had left his side…

But then again, that was normal for Harry and Ginny.

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Hermione and Ginny watched Harry walk past them and the moment he was out of sight, Hermione leaned in to whisper, "Let's follow him and see what Lupin has to say!"

"You're starting to sound like your best friends!" Ginny protested, even as they began to walk.

"Quit complaining and admit you want to know!" Hermione told Ginny with a smile. She offered Ginny an Extendable Ear and a devious smile when they reached the drawing room door, "As Harry's friends, its our duty to keep him from killing himself. In order to do that, we need to know what he knows, and more!"

"Fine," agreed Ginny as they leaned in to listen, "But if we're caught, you get to explain that to Harry, and to my mother and the twins about the ears!"

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"Hello, professor." Harry said, looking at Lupin, then taking a seat opposite him by the fire with a small smile.

"You really needn't call me that," responded the werewolf, "Call me Remus, if that's okay with you."

Harry thought about that for and realized that the only adult he had ever called by their first name was Sirius, and said something to that effect.

"Well, I know I'll never replace Sirius, or James and Lily for that matter, but I've been your guardian for two years now," he said gently.

"I didn't know that," frowned Remus.

"Dumbledore thought that you might not want it to seem as though I was attempting to be what Sirius was to you, and he thought we should keep that quiet," explained Remus.

"I see," said Harry, wondering bitterly if there was anything else about himself that Dumbledore hadn't seen fit to tell him.

"I told you that for a reason, Harry. Really, to explain why I did something you might not like," Remus said, "Harry, I asked a certain neighbour of yours to keep an eye on you."

"What?" cried Harry, leaping to his feet.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright. I worried about leaving you on your own," continued Remus, "But you weren't alone, were you?"

Harry swallowed, and sat again as his thoughts went in one million directions at once. How could he know? "Maybe not entirely…"

"The truth, Harry," said Remus sternly, "Mrs Figg saw that young lady, and I need you to tell me who she is."

_He might not know the most damning part! _Harry thought excitedly.

"Why does it matter?"

"Just tell me, Harry," and when the teen offered no response, Remus pushed on, "Is she a muggle?"

He really didn't know! 

"Yeah, she is," sighed Harry, as though he were being forced to give up his secrets, "But I won't tell you anymore until you promise not to set anymore spies on me!"

"Fine, so long as you keep me informed," Remus agreed.

Harry thought that that was ideal, since it allowed him to control the flow of information. "Her name is Victoria. She was the closest thing to a friend I had when I was little, since Dudley and his gang hated her almost as much as me."

"I see," Remus said, "Did you only see her that one time Mrs Figg wrote me about?"

"Yeah, since the Dursleys were out of town, and I happened to meet her at a store the day before," Harry said, trying to sink that into his memory banks.

"What did you two do for the hour you were alone in the house?" Remus asked next.

"We sat in my room and talked," Harry said, trying to stay a step ahead of Remus by figuring out what he would have talked about for an hour with a muggle girl who had once been an outcast like himself.

"In your bedroom?" asked Remus, with the scepticism of a man who had been the best friend of James Potter and Sirius Black.

"Well, yeah. I don't really like much of the rest of that house, and I already spend so much time there that it just seemed like the place to go…"Harry trailed off, hoping that Remus wouldn't ask why he hated the other rooms in the Dursley home.

"I see," replied the older man, who recalled Ron or Hermione mentioning something about that, "What did you talk about?"

"Just stuff. It kinda got boring when I realized that she thought I was some sort of bad boy rebel just because my aunt and uncle started some rumours about reform school. Victoria seemed to think I was some sort of slightly scary idol. I hate being idolized," Harry said darkly.

"Why did she leave?" asked Remus.

"Her parents wanted her home. I offered to walk her, but they'd heard the rumours too, so she hadn't mentioned that I was the one she was out with. I was a little relieved, actually. She doesn't hold a candle to Ginny," Harry said, hoping that he was being detailed enough.

"I heard that you'd broken up with her, and quite publicly as I recall the story. I'm sorry," Remus told him.

"I'm not. Now she's safe," said Harry, thinking that that was the only bit of truth he'd uttered to Remus since coming in her, and even it was misleading.

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**A/N: Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, and sorry that I haven't answered reviews. Honestly, it came down to a choice of answering them or typing up little bits of this chapter in the moments I snatched between schoolwork. This chapter is longer, so maybe you'll forgive me! Exam time is upon me at school, so updates will either come few and far between or fast at thick as I either throw myself in to studying or taking my mind off them! So bear with whatever I can get up for a few weeks, and I promise you all a nice long chapter the day after my last exam! (That would be February 2nd for anyone who doesn't attend the Norwell high school in small town Ontario, Canada!)**


	9. Chapter 9: In Harry's Room

**A/N: Here's the updated chapter nine. Hope that you enjoy it!**

**Chapter Nine**

**In Harry's Room**

Ginny wanted nothing more than for Hermione to stop following her once the pair reached the third floor where the older girl slept. While, perhaps she wanted more than that to be in Harry's rooms alone again, but that couldn't happen until Hermione buzzed off anyway. Her dear friend, however, wanted to talk to Ginny about what they had just heard Lupin and Harry discussing in the drawing room of Grimauld Place. Ginny knew that she would probably end up arousing Hermione's suspicions if she point blank told her friend to go away, but she so desperately wanted to curl up on Harry's bed and wait for him to return, that she considered doing it and damning the consequences. As the pair walked into the cozy bedroom that the redhead occupied in this house, Ginny knew that the fact that it was nearly 2 am was screwing with her judgement. It was not worth getting caught out in their lie just to see Harry five seconds earlier than would otherwise be possible, no matter how much it might seem like it was.

Even if it _really, really_ seemed worth it at that moment.

"Are you alright with all that, Gin?" asked Hermione, leaning against the doorframe of Ginny's room as Ginny sat on her bed.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, knowing what Hermione would say, and ready with her answer.

"Well, you just broke up, and he was talking about dating some other girl…" Hermione reminded her friend with a look of concern.

"First off, Harry hardly said he was _dating_ that Vicky person, but even if he was, I wouldn't care," Ginny told Hermione as she flopped back on her bed, wishing that the other girl would just _go away_ and hoping that she could psychically send that thought to her friend if she concentrated hard enough.

"Would you really be alright with Harry dating someone else?" asked Hermione, figuring that Ginny was putting on a brave face.

"Look, I told you about Robert, didn't I?" Ginny asked, using the boy who she had made up when Hermione had noticed the bruises that Harry's lips had left on her neck just before she had returned home. With any luck, Hermione would now think that both she and Harry were entirely over each other and tell everyone, since their aim was to make sure as many people as possible thought that they were over forever and that their was no feelings left between them.

"Do you really like this Robert person? I just thought that you were trying to convince yourself that you're over Harry," Hermione said with a bit of worry still creasing her forehead.

"Hermione, I can't believe that you think that Harry and I could use others that way! It's totally ridiculous," huffed Ginny.

"I doubt Robert would really mind being 'used'," Hermione remarked dryly, with a bit of an apologetic smile.

"Seriously, Hermione," Ginny said, trying not to bite her lip and give away the lie, "Robert was important to me. He showed me that I'm not really in love with Harry, and that I never likely really was. It was just a crush."

"I'm not sure I buy that," Hermione said with narrowed eyes and pursed lips.

"Just because you're in love with my brother doesn't mean I have to be in love with someone as well," Ginny pointed out with a wicked grin, sitting up on the bed to look at the girl on the other side of the room.

"Hey! I'm not in love with Ron!" screeched Hermione, much more loudly than she probably intended to.

"Who said anything about Ron?" asked Ginny, "I thought you were in love with Percy."

"Ginny!" exclaimed Hermione indignantly, "You shouldn't say such things!"

"If you don't want me to assume that you're in love with whatever random guy I think of, than don't assume that I'm in love with Harry," Ginny said pointedly.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just worry about you two," Hermione said, standing upright in preparation to depart. "After all, you're practically family."

"Goodnight Hermione," said Ginny as her friend left. With the other girl gone, Ginny locked her door, knowing that she could say that she didn't want Kreacher wandering in during the night, despite the fact that he rarely left his cave-like bedroom anymore. Most of the Order would have been happy if he had stayed at Hogwarts and far from headquarters, but the spiteful house-elf caused so many problems that Harry had just ordered him to stay here, and talk to no one except Harry himself unless he was told he could. Ginny was glad of the convenient excuse to keep her door locked while she was supposed to be in her room, but was instead with Harry.

Ginny crossed to her window seat, passing the desk where she had hidden the mirror that she used to speak with Harry, and slipped out on to the roof of the extension that had been built on the house. There wasn't even a drop to content with, so this really was an easy way to access Harry's room via his window that was just feet from hers. She slipped into his dark room and lurked in the shadows until he showed up a few minutes later. She waited until he had the door locked before she snuck up behind him and slid her arms around his waist. Her hands dipped into the front of his pants as he gasped in surprise. He tensed for a moment, then turned and caught Ginny's lips over his shoulder. Her hands massaged him slowly until he was hard in her hands. Then she withdrew, and spun him around. "Strip," she ordered in a voice that made him throb.

Harry did as Ginny told him to, and then turned to her for further instruction with a teasing salute. Instead of telling him what to do, Ginny just pushed him to the bed. She leaned over him, and her warm hands grasped him again. She worked up and down his length, over and over until he was panting, then she let go. Her hands danced up the buttons of her shirt, and she slowly undid them one by one. She bared her black bra slowly as Harry's eyes came to focus on her again. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand. She climbed on top of him, and pushed his hands above his head, using her wand to call up ropes to bind them there. "Don't move," she taunted as she went to secure his feet in the same manner. The she stood carefully on the bed between his spread legs and slipped out of her shorts, then her panties and finally her bra. She discarded her clothing and then looked down at him with a naughty grin.

"Do you know how much I've missed you well you were gone?" she asked.

"You told me over the mirrors," Harry pointed out, his eyes roaming the red-haired goddess that was his first and only lover.

"Do you know what I did after we put down the mirrors?" she asked, sitting lightly on his stomach.

Harry just shook his head no as he felt her back tease his tip. Ginny smiled a little wickedly. "I would pretend that you were with me, and I would think of all the wonderful things that I wanted you to do to me. And then I'd reach down, and think of you and touch myself." As she spoke, Ginny trailed her fingers down until she was inside herself, plunging in and out. One hand braced her on the mattress by Harry's shoulder, and she took the rest of her weight on her knees beside his hips, as she put on a show for boyfriend. "Talk to me, Harry," she told him, "Tell me what you'll do to me, and maybe I'll let you free to do it." Then she concentrated on the hand that was giving her pleasure and she quickly built the fire within her, Harry's voice washing over her as she climaxed.

A moment after she was done, she looked at Harry, who looked thoroughly aroused and a little shocked. He was straining with the ropes, but she wasn't quite ready to let him go yet. She stretched out flush against him, feeling her blood rush to every bit of skin that touched him. She kissed his lips, and then slid her tongue across his cheek so that she could whisper in his ear, "Hold on tight."

Then she flipped around and pressed small kisses to the insides of his thighs. His muscles tightened, and Ginny smiled. Then she slid farther up his body, and pressed her mouth to the very tip of Harry's sex. Every bit of her boyfriend went absolutely rigid. Harry moaned out her name as Ginny took him further into her mouth. She slid her tongue back and forth, than dragged her teeth lightly along his length until she had left him completely. Harry actually whimpered over the loss of her warm mouth. Ginny sat back grinning in satisfaction.

Then Harry's arm snaked around her waist, taking her by complete surprise. She let her head fall back beside his. Harry's arm was still a band of strength locking her to him. "Didn't think I could escape, did you?" Harry asked, clearly proud of himself.

"You got one arm free," Ginny said sceptically.

"Yeah, but that's all I needed to get your attention," Harry explained.

"What good does that do you?" asked Ginny conversationally.

"Well, now that you're listening to me, I can promise you the world if you let me go so I can have my way with you," Harry offered, and wicked gleam in his eye.

She smiled, and banished the rest of the ropes. He instantly had her beneath him and was pumping in and out. He held off his climax until he felt her reach hers, and then exploded with in her. For long moment they lay panting together, then Harry leaned down and pulled a blanket over them.

"How did you get in here?" he asked a while later, when he had regained enough curiosity to care. "I had the door locked and it was still locked when I got back."

"I picked these rooms for us because the roof of the extension is just below, and the windows are three feet apart," Ginny explained, snuggling into Harry's side.

"Why didn't you tell me that before, when Hermione was knocking on your door?" he asked.

"I panicked and forgot about them," Ginny explained with her eyes fluttering shut, sleep pulling at her.

"Shouldn't we get you back to your room? What if someone comes looking?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Harry, it's just about three am. If anyone comes looking for me, I'd rather they not find me anyway. We'll just get up early tomorrow, before the others." When Harry glanced done a moment later, Ginny was sound asleep on he chest. He didn't have the heart to wake her, even if he knew that he should send her to her own bed so they couldn't be caught together. He had missed sleeping with her wrapped in his arms so much…

Harry groaned quietly, wondering again if having Ginny stay with him at Privet Drive had really been wise. Sure, they'd managed to do it without getting caught, but he hadn't really slept since the last time he had held her in his arms for the night. Those few magical days may have spoiled him on their clandestine stolen moments forever. Harry had never wanted to be far from Ginny, but now he couldn't even imagine living without being very, very sure that he could find her if he took a moment to look. That could become a problem when they were around other people, particularly related-to-Ginny people. Then there was the problem that she was going back to Hogwarts next year and he wasn't…

Harry had almost revised that decision a thousand times over just because Ginny would be at the school. Maybe he could make it work, going to school and hunting Horcruxes. Yeah, right, of course he could. And that's when he realised something important.

The reason he and Ginny were hiding their relationship was because of Voldemort, and therefore, the fact that he was considering, even for a second, putting off hunting down the evil wizard to be with Ginny, made no sense. The sooner he found and destroyed him, the sooner he and Ginny could be together in the open. With that in mind, Harry silently vowed to dedicate everything he had to stopping Voldemort, so that he could return to Ginny.

With a sigh, Harry held Ginny closer, knowing that this would be their last night spent together for a very long time. In a few days he was going off to fight a war, almost single-handedly.

God, Ginny sure had been right when she had told him that he was the one who didn't know what he was doing.

_But at least he knew why he was doing it, _Harry thought, pulling his girlfriend even closer to him and closing his eyes to try to catch a bit more sleep.


	10. Chapter 10: The Worst Goodbye

**A/N: Here's chapter ten, all fixed up for your enjoyment!**

**Chapter Ten**

**The Worst Goodbye**

Morning came quickly at Grimauld house on the first day of August, but Harry and Ginny slept through it. They were, in fact, the last people to wake up on the day of Fleur and Bill's wedding, which was not a good thing, considering they were still both asleep in Harry's bed.

Of the pair, Harry woke first, but even that wasn't until nine o'clock, some three hours after the some of the other occupants had first began to stir. Sadly, it probably would have been later still, but for the beastly nightmare Harry had, in which he was chasing after Voldemort, trying to defeat him by giving him a hug, because, after all, Dumbledore had told him that his greatest weapon was his ability to love. Shaking the haunting images from his mind, Harry sat up and stretched, then glanced at the sunshine merrily pouring in his window, and at the redhead still asleep beside him. Suddenly it occurred to Harry that he could be in very big trouble if he didn't get Ginny back to her room, and very soon.

With that in mind, he gently shook her awake, giving her a kiss on the forehead as he leapt from the bed to gather her clothing. She was just stretching awake when he dumped her things in her lap and told her to hurry, putting on clean jeans from his trunk as he did it. "Gin, we've over slept, and you've got to get back to your room!"

"Shit," she said, rushing now. Unfortunately, a knock came at the door before Ginny had more than her t-shirt and undergarments on. The pair shared a panic filled moment, and then Ginny dived under the bed, Harry sending her pyjama pants, socks and shoes after her. Then Harry strode to the door, doing his best to seem groggy and barely awake. Hermione came in, and Harry quickly tugged his shirt over his head. "Isn't that what you wore yesterday?" she asked.

"Dunno, maybe," Harry said, peeling the shirt off and grabbing another, suddenly noticing the marks Ginny's mouth had left on his chest the night before, and hoping that Hermione hadn't caught sight of the purplish bruising.

"What's that on your chest?" asked Hermione, who could never be counted on to not notice something.

"Er, bruise. Dudley threw something at me day before last, no big deal." Harry said automatically, as he tried to count the number of lies he had told people he loved in the past month or so. He figured that he would soon need to invent a new number to keep up with the steadily mounting figure.

"That's terrible! What did he throw?" asked Hermione.

"Umm… his fist." That was weak, but still Harry couldn't help but think that it was rather amusing that, with all the horrible things the Dursleys had done that he had never told anyone about, a great number of the things he had blamed on them really stemmed from his girlfriend. In fact, without Ginny, Ron and Hermione wouldn't know even half as much about his life with his aunt's family as they did.

"Harry, those people-"

"I don't want to hear about it, Hermione. They were rotten, and I never have to talk to or about them again. They can't affect me anymore," Harry assured his friend, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"I think you're wrong about that last part, but I just came up hear to wake you and Ginny up. We leave for the Burrow in an hour, and Remus wanted you up." Then Hermione left, and Harry closed the door. He didn't have time to think about what she said because he had to get Ginny back to her room before Hermione got there. He threw open the window, and helped her scramble through it and onto the roof.

Harry then grabbed his dress robes and threw them over his shoulder, heading downstairs. He passed Hermione and Ginny on his way to the steps, and he nodded to the pair as he had the night before on his way to speak to Remus. This time though, Hermione called after Harry to wait. "I'll walk down with you since Ginny isn't ready to go yet."

"Okay," said Harry, slightly wary of his friend and her new, annoying penchant for trying to talk about the Dursleys.

As they reached the third floor, where Hermione, Ron and a few order members slept in scattered bedrooms, Ron came into view leaning against his door, the one across from Hermione's. "There you two are! Is Ginny coming?" asked the gangly red head.

"Not right away," Hermione explained. "She was still asleep when I knocked on her door."

Harry forced himself not to blush or concentrate on his shoes. Hermione had already caught the marks on his chest, and Harry wasn't willing to risk everything on his ability to make up another 'clever' excuse if she saw him acting oddly.

"Right," said Ron, "Harry, do you have plans for the rest of the summer?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. And so do you too. We're leaving in eleven days, so pack your bags," Harry said just before he walked off, leaving his best friends standing shocked on the staircase between the first and second floor. He also left Ginny standing out of sight around a bend in the hall, but Harry didn't know that, or that she had even heard his news and was even more shocked than the other pair.

In fact, Ginny stood with those few words echoing hollowly in her heart until the voices of the other two snapped her out of it. Hermione and Ron were bickering as usual, and Ginny concentrated on their voices to avoid the pain of Harry's announcement. "Did Harry mention anything to you?" asked Hermione sharply.

"You've spent more time with him than I have," Ron told her.

"I thought we weren't leaving until September!" cried Hermione.

"Why do you suppose he wants to go so soon?" asked Ron, "You don't think he and Ginny have had another fight or something? I thought they were going to be friends."

"They are! They both even saw other people briefly," Hermione snapped.

"What? When?" asked Ron, looking baffled.

"In the last few weeks. Ginny met some muggle boy named Robert while she was at her friends house and Harry apparently got together with a muggle girl he was friends with when he was younger, I overheard him and Remus taking about it," Hermione said, "If we're leaving so much sooner, we're going to need different supplies."

"Does Ginny know? How could Harry do that to her? I'm going to-" In typical Ron fashion, the teenage boy had reacted all over the place until Hermione cut him off.

"You won't do anything, because as far and Harry and Ginny are concerned, you don't know anything. Besides, they had already broken up, and if the time line is what I think it is, they were going out with other people at about the same time!" Hermione told Ron, pulling him to a stop just outside the kitchen door while Ginny lurked in the shadowy hall not far away.

"Whose this Robert bloke anyway?" grumbled Ron.

"It doesn't matter, I don't think Ginny will ever see him again anyway." Hermione told Ron before hushing him and leading the way down to the kitchen and out of hearing range.

Ginny didn't know what exactly to think, except that Harry was leaving her much sooner than expected. Eleven days, the day after her birthday, they would be gone. Well, since there was nothing to be done about that, Ginny decided to make the most of their time left together, even if that meant disappearing from view more than was wise. Ginny refused to get mad at Harry for not warning her first, because that would only waste time. She would remind herself that for every day sooner he left, Harry would return one day sooner. That was the thought that would have to get her through the months. He would come back, and then they'd be able to tell everyone about their relationship, and live happily ever after. Ginny would make herself believe that, if it took all her will power in all the coming months.

She needed so badly to believe it that she _would _believe it.

So, with that in mind, Ginny walked into the kitchen, and straight into chaos. Several Order members, plus the four underage residents, were trying to help themselves to breakfast. The food was not very good, and there was zero organization, but it was great cover in which for Ginny to brush up against Harry teasingly. "Grab some toast and come to my room," Harry whispered to her, disappearing into the crowd for a moment. She spotted him walking quietly up the steps a few moments later, and Ginny followed discreetly behind.

When Ginny slipped into Harry's room, he wasn't there, but the window was open. She leaned out to find Harry sitting on the roof, soaking up the morning sun and munching a piece of toast. "So good of you to join me," he said with a smile.

"I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever," Ginny said as she sat beside him.

"I know. First with Hermione staying in your room so we couldn't use the mirrors, and what with us being so occupied last night," Harry said.

"And its not likely to get any better when we get to the Burrow for the wedding either. By the way, we only have a half hour before we go," Ginny said, finishing her toast and brushing away the crumbs.

A moment passed in companionable silence before Harry smile down at his girlfriend. "You know Gin, I've learned all sorts of things since we began to date. Like lying to loved ones is sometimes okay, and how to think fast on my feet, and where all the best hiding places are, and not to wish for company in case you get more than you want."

"I thought you were going to say that you learned how to undo a bra," teased Ginny.

"Well, there is that useful skill," Harry acknowledged with a grin.

"Just don't put it to use when I'm not around!" Ginny threatened, and was surprised when Harry's grin faded.

"Gin, there's something else I need to tell you. Hermione, Ron and I, we're leaving soon. Really soon," Harry said.

"How soon?" asked Ginny, hoping that his answer would be different from the one she'd overheard earlier.

"Eleven days," Harry said.

"Then I guess we'd better make them all count," Ginny said with a sad smile. "Are you sure you won't let me come?"

"That would just be inviting trouble. Voldemort I can handle, but your mum in a temper?" Harry said jokingly, "No thanks."

"What if I threatened to tell her some things that would really make her mad if you don't bring me along?" asked Ginny, not sure if she was really teasing or not.

"Then I'd say see you on the other side, because I doubt she'd go easy on you either," Harry smiled a bit.

"I know," said Ginny, tears leaking down her cheeks.

"You can't cry now. There's a wedding soon, and no one would even buy that their happy tears for your brother and Phlegm," Harry said, brushing away the watery marks with his thumb.

"I'll miss you Harry, so much," Ginny choked out.

"I'll miss you, too." Harry said, pulling her close, "But let's not make this harder by saying goodbye for eleven days. Let's enjoy ourselves instead," Harry's grin was wavering, and that's what made Ginny pull herself together. She had to be strong, because she knew if she asked it, he'd be too tempted to stay behind.

Harry had to leave, and Ginny had to make it okay for him to go, that was the only way the Boy Who Lived could defeat Lord Voldemort.


	11. Chapter 11:A Befuddling Offer

**A/N: This is chapter eleven in its edited and slightly altered form. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eleven**

**A Befuddling Offer**

Harry looked around at the frilly white, gold and red decorations of the huge temporary structure that had been erected in the yard of the Burrow to house the many wedding guests of Bill and Fleur Weasley. Harry tried to repress a shutter. His own wedding, whenever it occurred in the hypothetical future, would not be this overly decorated. Looking round at the people in attendance, Harry saw that Bill had probably not even glanced and the gauzy ribbons of colour that encased the ceiling and trailed down the walls or the mountains of tri-hued flowers that were everywhere. The oldest Weasley was swaying on the dance floor with his new wife, only his stiff movements indicating that he had recently suffered an attack by an untransformed werewolf.

Harry shook his head, now taking time to observe others on the dance floor, then focusing on the five others seated at the same round table as him. Ron and Ginny were talking about the Chudley Cannons, as Hermione tried to discuss something with a very stiff and boring older couple who had somehow come to be seated with the four teens. Harry particularly watched Ron and Hermione, who were both seated on his right. They sat with their backs to each other, Ron facing his sister, who was on Harry's immediate left, and Hermione looking at the dull couple to her right. His best friends had surprisingly not bickered very much since he had announced earlier that morning that they would be departing in eleven days. Harry's eyes then slid to Ginny, as they had so many times that day.

Ginny looked simply radiant dressed in the gold bridesmaid dress. The costly creations sported by both Ginny, and Fluer's little sister, Gabrielle, were completely backless, making Harry rather glad that his girlfriend was sitting in a position where no one could see her from behind. Harry looked at Ginny and was struck by the fact that with her gold dress and red hair she epitomized the wedding's colour scheme when placed as she was against a back drop of the gauzy ivory mesh that covered the wall behind her. She looked as though she was enjoying herself, despite her earlier grumbling about her new sister-in-law. Though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, Ginny was happy for her elder brother, and she was even willing to deal with Fluer for him.

Suddenly Harry felt something land lightly in his lap. He glanced down, and saw Ginny's hand, complete with her pearly white nail polish that matched her high-heeled sandals and the pearls at her throat, ears and neck. Harry quickly slid his chair further under the table and tried to shift away from Ginny without attracting attention. He failed and Ron looked at him as though expecting Harry to say something, when he didn't Ron did. "Mate, move, I can't see Ginny."

"Sorry," muttered Harry as he shifted back towards Ginny, who didn't react, except to stroke the fly on the pants he wore under his robe.

For long, long minutes, Harry sat, trying to behave normally while Ginny's hand worked. She stroked, cupped and generally teased him until Harry couldn't stand it anymore. He stood quickly and excused himself, before hurrying to the exit of the large, tent-like room. Once out in the bracingly cool air, Harry decided that some payback was in order. He strode the ten feet to the entrance to the Burrow and pulled the invisibility cloak from the bag that he had stowed in the living room, glad that he wasn't staying at the Burrow because that put all his things conveniently close to the door. The Weasley's home was truly packed with relatives and friends who had come for the wedding.

Harry then rushed back to the wedding, hidden from sight under the cover of the Cloak. Just as he reached the entrance, Hermione burst out, followed by Ron, who asked her "What did I do?" as he rushed after her.

Suppressing a laugh, Harry slipped into the narrow space between Ginny's chair and the wall. Harry leaned in until his lips were next to her ear, and whispered three words that made Ginny shiver, "Payback, my love."

Just as Harry knelt and slid his hands under the material of her dress, Ginny made a desperate attempt to stay focused on the boring couple across from her. "Er, what is it you do?" she asked, and the man replied in English that was heavily accented by his native French. As the man droned on in his barely comprehensible way, Harry stroked low and lower over Ginny's tight belly, finally brushing over her lacy knickers. Pushing under the garment, Harry's finger teased and touched. Even as a second finger joined the first, Harry slid his other hand up and splayed it over her lower belly, looking to make sure that the table hid the slight bulge in her dress. As Harry's clever fingers worked, Ginny grabbed her goblet, and gulped its contents in a desperate attempt to remain in control.

Ginny nearly choked on her drink, and Harry began to plunge in and out of her, making her breathing more ragged despite her attempts to hide it. Through it all, the boring man droned on about his job in the French ministry of magic. Ginny had nearly reached the edge, when Harry's fingers stilled, and then retreated. He stood, and whispered to her "Meet you by the pond as soon as you can get away." Then Harry left.

When Ginny met him fifteen minutes later, she wasn't sure whether she more wanted to yell or push Harry down and have her way with him. "That was a dirty thing to do, Potter," she said, standing two feet away from him, still undecided.

"You enjoyed it, Weasley," he countered with a conceited grin, "Besides, you started this."

"Whatever, let's just finish it," Ginny said, deciding that yelling at Harry would not be the most satisfactory course.

**(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)**

An hour later, Ginny and Harry returned separately to the wedding, and slipped in among the crowd. Ginny saw Ron and Hermione stalk in moments apart, just after Harry arrived. The youngest Weasley found Harry, who had returned to sitting with the boring couple at their table, and pulled him over to talk, shooting an apologetic smile at their dinner companions, trying not to think about what they had nearly witnessed when Harry had decided to exact his revenge. "Harry, I want you to go and talk to Hermione while I talk to Ron. I'm sick of the bickering, and I have a plan but first I need a few minutes with my brother."

"Alright, but Gin," Harry said, scanning the crowd for any sign of his bushy haired friend, "Go easy on them. Ron and Hermione have been half in love with each other since fourth year, and they have been carefully ignoring it for that long too. Besides, I still don't know if I want my best friends to date, especially when I'm about to go off all alone with the pair of them."

"You worry too much," Ginny told Harry, "Besides, you could always take me along for company if they get together." Her grin was part teasing, part wistful, and mostly painful acceptance of the facts.

"Gin," Harry began, not sure what he would say beyond her name and so putting every aching regret about the way things were into that syllable.

"I know, Harry. Besides," Ginny's smile was cheeky once more, "That would be the waste of an awful lot of hard work covering up our relationship if I tagged along."

"Go talk to your brother, and try not to confuse him too much. I'll need him and all of his brain power in tact in a few days," Harry said, marvelling at the fact that both he and Ginny could appear to speak lightly of his departure, though it hurt terribly. "And, Gin, remember that your not supposed to know that we're leaving. No one else does."

"I can't believe you three are letting mum think that you're sitting around waiting to find out if Hogwarts is going to stay open like the rest of the student body, all the while having decided more than a month ago that you're not going back," Ginny said quietly.

"There are reasons that I only tell you, Ron and Hermione my plans, Gin," Harry began.

"Here, in a crowd of people, isn't the best place to discuss them," Ginny said, "I'm sorry, Harry, sometimes it all just hits me. Despite the fact that you forbid me to go with you lot because I have to go to school, I might not have a school to go to come September. And even if I don't, I still won't be allowed to go with you."

"I'm sorry, Gin," said Harry, wanting to fold her into his arms and hating the fact that the people around him forced him to settle for resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Me, too, Harry," Ginny said, before going off in search of Ron. Harry stared after her a moment, and was startled when the very girl he had been told to seek out spoke up at his elbow.

"Apologized to Ginny again, did you, Harry?" asked Hermione. "How'd she take it this time?"

"About as well as ever," Harry said with a sigh, "Come and dance with me, Hermione, before Ginny sets Ron loose on you."

"All right, but what do you mean, 'sets Ron loose on me'?" asked Hermione as she and Harry went to dance.

"I'm sure you'll find out fairly soon. Ginny looked determined when she went to get him," Harry said with a grin.

"You and Ginny talk an awful lot for a couple that just broke up," Hermione said with a sly grin. "Are you changing your mind, Harry Potter?"

"Hermione, you know why I can't date Ginny. There is no way I would risk her safety like that, and that means that no one can know that I've ever even heard the name Ginny Weasley in passing. No matter how I feel-"

Hermione cut him off, "I know all that, Harry. I was just hoping that you'd changed your mind and realised that you two might be squandering your only chance just because you're afraid to risk it. Even though I kinda knew you were committed to your misery when you told Ron and I to be ready to leave on the twelfth."

"I'm not miserable, exactly," protested Harry.

"Of course you aren't," Hermione said with rolled eyes, "Anyway, I think that we should take a trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow, to by a few things that we'll need."

"Let's talk about that later. Only the three of us know that we're even leaving and I'd like to keep it that way," Harry cautioned, "There's no way I'm going to subject myself to some big scene. Everyone from Mrs Weasley to Remus to Mad-eye to Fred and George will want to be weighing in on why we shouldn't go or how many Aurors need to tail me if we absolutely feel that we must go."

"They care about you Harry," Hermione scolded mildly, "They care about all of us."

"I care about them too, but-"

"But you don't deal well with people fussing over you because you were treated so horribly by those who raised you," Hermione said with an angry glint in her eyes.

"I don't think that's exactly it," Harry protested just as the song ended.

"I do," Hermione countered as the walked to their table. Ron and Ginny were sitting there, the red-haired brother looking a little pale, the sister a little amused.

"What's wrong, Ron?" asked Hermione, concerned and clearly forgetting their earlier fight, whatever it had been about.

"Nothing," he said faintly, then again, this time more certain, "Nothing. Hermione, will you dance with me?"

Hermione looked surprised for an instant, but quickly smiled. "Sure, I would love to, Ron!"

And off the pair went. Ginny and Harry sat together talking while their friends danced, laughing a little at Ron's ineptitude and exclaiming over the fact that three songs quickly elapsed yet the couple remained on the floor. Harry and Ginny shifted their conversation to light subjects and forgot all about everyone else as they debated and discussed everyday things as they hadn't since the very beginning of their relationship. Harry was surprised when he realised that he hadn't noticed that their topics of conversation had become so very depressingly serious since they had decided to endeavour to fool the world into thinking that they didn't really know or particularly care for each other. Even when they had been alone at Privet Drive, Harry and Ginny had spoken little about things that didn't matter, partially because they had found a different way of entertaining themselves that didn't require words. He found that he had missed their playful banter and interesting discussions.

A half-hour elapsed before the two heard from anyone else. Harry and Ginny were startled when Minerva McGonagall approached with Ron and Hermione trailing behind her. Their surprise obviously showed on their faces, and the newest Head Mistress of Hogwarts smiled at the four teens. "I just thought you four should know that a decision has been made regarding the closure of Hogwarts for the protection of students."

"Really, professor?" asked Hermione eagerly, forgetting that whether or not Hogwarts remained open, she wouldn't be there on September first.

"Yes, Miss Granger, Hogwarts will open its doors once again," said McGonagall with a smile.

"That's wonderful, professor!" exclaimed the excited girl.

"Now, I decided to tell you four before the letters are sent out next week for a reason. Due to certain special considerations, the staff has decided to appoint two Head Girls and two Boys," McGonagall paused a moment, letting that sink in. "This is because their duties will expand beyond the regular this year. Patrols will be longer and more thorough, and there has been talk of offering supplementary defence classes, particularly for younger students. Since I know that at least three of you organised a certain illegal club two years ago, your names came up. Miss Weasley, you were highly recommended by several of your teachers, as well as numerous members of a certain Order."

"I'm honoured," Ginny said with a sad smile, thinking how wonderful it would be to have Harry back at Hogwarts next year, and knowing it wouldn't happen.

"We'd-" but Hermione's enthusiastic reply was cut off by a sharp look from Ron, one meant to remind her that they had other, more secret plans.

"Professor, normally I'm sure we'd all jump at this chance. However," Harry paused, trying to make the right decision for himself and his friends. "This year, there are other considerations."

"What's this, Potter?" asked the older woman sharply.

"Well, I'll level with you. We've yet to settle the question of going back for our last year. Except for Ginny, we're not certain we're returning," Harry said, deciding to tell the truth, something that had recently become a novel idea.

"Not return? Is this true, Miss Granger?" asked McGonagall in disbelief.

"We've been considering the possibility that we're needed elsewhere," said Hermione in a squeaky voice.

"Surely you're not considering putting yourselves against he-who-must-not-be-named and his entire army! You're barely seventeen!" gasped the educator in shock.

"Am I only seventeen?" asked Harry, "I so often feel much, much older." Harry had begun to feel that upon the death of Dumbledore, he and his friends no longer had anyone to speak out for them. Harry had decided that he would become their voice, the one that bridged the gap between adults and themselves. After all, grown-ups would take a lot more from the Boy-Who-Lived than they would from the average teen.

The professor looked strangely at the boy with the shining emerald eyes, until she suddenly knew what meant. This war had matured and aged so many children, and Harry more so than any. With every death, she herself felt older, feebler, and less able. Sometimes she wondered if it was really a curse that had killed a great man like Dumbledore, or if it had been a slow decline inched forward by every causality that the side of good suffered. Maybe he had simply wanted to stop fighting and to reap the reward for all his years of trying to bring peace to his world. "Okay, Harry, I understand. I assume that you don't want this mentioned to anyone else?" asked the teacher, her weary eyes flashing briefly to the mother of the groom.

"Actually, professor, I'd like to request a moment of time to confer with my friends before we make our final decision. A thought has struck me that might make this beneficial to all," Harry said, trying (and succeeding) to sound much more adult then he was. Sometimes it shocked him how mature he could seem when he tried to sound like some mixture of Dumbledore and Hermione.

"Of course, Harry. I think I'll go offer a last congratulation to the bride and groom, and then we can finish this conversation," offered the Head Mistress of Hogwarts, hoping that she wouldn't have to find three replacement Head students as well as a new DADA teacher. Already she knew that she would have to teach transfiguration herself, though that was not ideal.

"Alright," said Harry, sounding more like himself, "What if we do this, and make the condition that we have complete access to all the castle resources, particularly the restricted section? Plus we'll want to hand pick students to reform the DA, even beyond training the rest of the school and uh," Harry stopped to think about what else they might want.

"We'll need to have the complete co-operation of the staff, and we'll want to be allowed to leave the castle at will," Hermione added, looking a little surprised that Harry was considering a return to Hogwarts. "If we want to continue the hunt, that is." Her eyes darted to Ginny, trying to phrase her words carefully, so that the girl wouldn't learn anything that would be news to her from a sloppy comment. Hermione had never been sure of how much Harry had told Ginny.

"Look, you guys, maybe it would be better if you arrange it so it's just the three of you. I wouldn't want to get in your way…" Ginny seemed uncertain and sad, realising that her dream of being truly included within the ranks of her three older friends was very unlikely to ever happen.

"Gin, if that's your only objection, I'd rather you didn't ask McGonagall to exclude you," Harry said firmly, not even bothering to consult Ron and Hermione.

"Besides, it makes practical sense, too. You could take care of the more regular Head duties. The boys and I could actually just basically base our operation out of Hogwarts. With you to leave in charge at the castle, it would be so much easier if we needed to leave suddenly," Hermione said, her mind running through all the practicalities even as she wondered if maybe Harry just wanted Ginny around.

"You know what?" Ron said thoughtfully, "I'm not sure if the teachers are really thinking this one through."

"Why?" asked Harry, "Sounds like a plan that would work for everyone."

"Well, without Dumbledore, and if Harry didn't go back, than why would Voldemort attack the school?" asked the gangly redhead.

After a moment of silence, Harry swore harshly. "I'm like a bloody lightening rod, aren't I?"

No one spoke. What could be said to that?

"I think he's after the power the school offers," Ginny said quietly, "Not the people, but the symbolism behind it."

Harry blinked for a second, absorbing that thought like a sudden sunburst through thick clouds of melancholy. "You know, that sounds like him."

"I know," said Ginny with a bitter twist to her mouth. Suddenly Ron looked at his little sister, realising that she might be one of very few people who could say that they'd truly gotten to know Voldemort's former self, through her experiences with the diary.

"So, if we go back, are we helping or hurting?" asked Hermione in confusion that was most unlike herself.


	12. Chapter 12: Ginny's advice

**A/N: I didn't change a whole lot in this chapter, but here is a new, slightly updated version anyway. **

**Chapter Twelve**

**Ginny's Advice**

"We'll do it."

It was a simple phrase, not one that should have changed four lives immediately and completely, but when Harry Potter had uttered it hours before at a wedding reception, it had. With that one tiny, seemingly innocuous sentence, Harry had pledged that he would spend the next months studying instead of chasing down the vilest wizard to ever live. Now he would return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his seventh year and he would take his two best friends with him. Now it would be at least another year before Harry could track down all the Horcruxes, and Voldemort, plus defeat him. And in that time, countless more would die.

All that would happen just because Harry Potter couldn't say no to his best friend or girlfriend.

When Hermione had told him that they could use the library for research and base their attacks on Voldemort's key defences from the school, the real reason had been clear in her eyes. Hermione had been very disappointed when Harry had announced that he wasn't going back, and here was the golden opportunity to make that turn out all right, the key chance to finish school before moving on to bigger things. Hermione had told him that they weren't really prepared to take Voldemort on, that the school needed them and many other things that Harry couldn't even remember. Ginny hadn't said a word; she had only looked at him with love and painful hope in her eyes.

That was what had truly finished him. Harry had turned to Ron to ask his opinion, but at that point it was a forgone conclusion that they would go back.

Suddenly Harry sprang to his feet, careful not to slip on the slightly slanted roof outside his bedroom window where he had lain since returning from the wedding, contemplating the predawn sky and the sudden way his life had changed mere hours before.

"It's only me, calm down," Ginny said, as she climbed through her window.

"Hey, Gin," Harry said as he went to help her through.

Soon the pair was settled together, admiring stars that were rapidly fading to grey. Ginny pillowed her head on Harry's chest, and one of his arms snaked around the redhead's shoulders.

"So, you're really coming back?" asked Ginny, trying to sound as thought it wouldn't crush her if he weren't.

"Yeah," said Harry quietly.

"What's wrong?" asked Ginny quickly, sitting up so she could look into deep green eyes.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly, then reconsidered a little, "Well, maybe something," he admitted.

Ginny just looked at him.

"I don't know if I should go back," Harry confessed, "Wouldn't it be better to defeat Voldemort as soon as I can?"

"Do you think you could do that now?" asked Ginny slowly, not sure if she was really the one to be advising him. After all, she had a vested interest in having him back at school.

"Well, probably…" Harry said with an uncertain look in his eye that told more of the truth than even the waver of his voice.

"Shouldn't you be certain of it? Wouldn't that give everyone a better chance of living to see a world without Voldemort in it?" asked Ginny carefully.

"What about the people he'll kill between now and whenever I'm totally and fully ready?" asked Harry, strain evident.

"That's the tough part," Ginny said "You have to balance the lives you'll endanger by facing him too soon and failing against the lives you'll endanger by waiting until you're ready."

"How do I do that?" asked Harry in desperation. "How do I say that the thousands I save later are more important that the thousands who won't be saved if I don't act?"

"You're not saying that either are more important, you're saying that destroying Voldemort and securing peace and security for millions of future wizards is important enough that you can't risk making hasty mistakes," said Ginny, hoping to show Harry a difference he couldn't distinguish on his own.

"Really?" asked Harry, not sure if he could quite believe her, no matter how much easier it would be for him if he could. It still felt… as though he was responsible for saving everyone's lives because he was the only one who could, yes, that was it exactly.

"Uh-huh," said Ginny, laying her head back down on Harry's chest, "Leaders and heroes have to make the tough choices, Harry. This looks like one of your toughest."

"Uh-huh," he echoed, shifting so they both were stretched out on their sides, faces nearly touching. "You know, it seems that the loved ones of leaders and heroes share in the decision making process at least a little. Sure you can handle it, Gin?" Harry's accompanying half grin melted Ginny's heart.

"I can handle anything you throw at me, Potter!" Ginny affirmed, planting a kiss on his lips, than reaching down to cup the fly of his jeans, then purred "And I do mean anything."

Long minutes were spent kissing. Ginny stretched out on top of Harry, giving the kisses her all. Reluctantly, Harry pulled away. "If we don't stop now, then we won't get any sleep for the second night in a row," he pointed out, looking at the now pink horizon.

"But think how much more fun we have than anyone silly enough to be sleeping right now!" Ginny said, tilting her head coyly, and refusing to move from the spot she had claimed straddling Harry.

"You already have a lot more of that sort of fun than most fifteen year olds!" Harry teased, sorely tempted to relieve Ginny of her burdensome sleep shorts and the baggy t-shirt that she had stolen from him.

"Yeah, well, how many seventeen year old are foolish enough to turn down a chance at their gorgeous younger girlfriends?" Ginny asked.

"Gods, Gin, all you ever want to do is sleep with me!" Harry said with a theatrical sigh.

"What else are you supposed to do all night long?" asked Ginny curiously.

"It's called sleeping, try it some time. Older boy's like me need to do it occasionally," Harry said, running his hands lazily up and down her thighs.

"Oh, because you're positively ancient!" cried Ginny, leaning in and planting her arms on either side of Harry's stomach and rolling her eyes. "A whole seventeen years old."

"Hey, at least I'm of age! Can you say that?" asked Harry as his hands slid under the loose shirt.

"No, and you'd better not say it either," Ginny told Harry, "We can't have you getting in trouble for seducing an underage girl."

"Here I thought that you were the one doing the seducing," Harry said, "If that's my job, then I'd better get to work."

Harry flipped Ginny quickly and smoothly before she replied, "You had better."

After that neither spoke as they came together half clothed and explosively.


	13. Chapter 13: Summer Lovin'

**A/N: Again, not a lot of changes made, but enough so that I hope it is better than before by at least a bit.**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Summer Lovin'**

Harry woke with the sun shining far too brightly in his eyes, feeling very stiff. He sat up and looked around, suddenly realising that he was on the roof. He swore quietly to himself, and then turned to find Ginny. She was still asleep, but now perilously close to the edge. Keeping an eye on her, Harry glanced and his watch and saw that they had only been asleep about an hour. It was only seven now, and everyone else had been up late at the wedding, so they should have some time to sleep before anyone else woke up.

With some sleep in an actual bed in mind, Harry picked up his sleeping girlfriend and their clothing and struggled through the window with care for the burden in his arms. He settled Ginny in her bed, then went back to his room, and considered putting on some pyjamas or at least taking off last night's jeans. Just as he decided that it wasn't worth the effort, a knock came at his door. Groaning, Harry answered the door.

"Oh good, you're already up!" Hermione said, disgustingly cheerful. "I'm glad you remembered that we're going shopping."

"Right, shopping," said Harry. "Meet you downstairs in five minutes."

"Alright, I'll wake Ron," Hermione agreed, congratulating herself on being smart enough to remind Harry of their shopping trip at a moment that he wouldn't remember that they had planned and vetoed the idea before they decided to go return to school.

Harry contemplated waking up Ginny so that she would have to share in his torture, but decided against it. One of them should get some sleep. So, Harry dressed for the second morning in a row after a night of very little sleep, hoping that this wasn't a pattern that Hermione planned to continue over the rest of the summer.

Unfortunately, over the next weeks, Hermione, Ron, Remus or another Order member often woke either Harry or Ginny after a long night of little sleep. By the end of the summer, the pair began to go to bed separately and collapse into a deep sleep, until one or the other woke up and crawled to the other's room via the windows and the roof. Harry and Ginny both got very good at pretending that they weren't asleep or that they were really just waking up when they were in actuality sneaking back to their rooms. The most nerve-wracking morning came a week before school started, after Mrs Weasley had come to stay again at the Order's Headquarters.

That night, Harry and Ginny hadn't gone to bed, but had instead sat up talking with Hermione and Ron until midnight. They had immediately met up in Harry's room after their friends had gone to their beds and had spent most of the night in bed, but definitely not asleep. Then, with the sun shining brightly behind them, they had made love one more time. Moments after they had finished, someone had knocked.

"Just a moment!" Ginny had called out, hoping to give them a moment to get Harry decently clothed and out the window.

Unfortunately, they were in Harry's room.

"Ginny?" Mrs Weasley had asked through the door.

Harry had groaned.

"Clothes, now!" Ginny had whispered. She was leaping to get dressed herself. She had settled for pulling on a skirt and a baggy black t-shirt that rightfully belonged to Harry, and throwing her hair into a messy ponytail. Harry managed his underwear, a pair of jeans and a shirt just before Ginny opened the door.

"What are you two doing so early?" asked Mrs Weasley slightly suspiciously. She hadn't ever been pleased with the vague explanations that Harry and Ginny had dated for a bit but didn't anymore.

"Ginny wanted to borrow a book, but I'd already lent it to Ron," Harry explained, saving the necessity of finding a book to give her.

"Why was the door shut?" asked Mrs Weasley.

"Harry's afraid of Kreacher," Ginny said, not bating an eye, "He never leaves the doors open here."

"Oh, I suppose," said Mrs Weasley, seeming to accept the explanation as she saw Harry's flaming cheeks. "I was just coming to wake you two up so we could get an early start on the day. There's a lot of shopping to be done and I know you lot wanted to come with me. Well, we can all go downstairs now."

Mrs Weasley lead the way and then told the pair to just wait a moment while she stopped for Ron and Hermione on the next floor down. Harry leaned over and whispered, "Boy, that was close."

"Even closer for me," whispered Ginny, a twinkle in her eye.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, who felt that of the two of them he had probably avoided the worst consequences. Harry, after all, didn't have six older brothers likely to murder anyone they found in bed with him.

"I couldn't find my knickers, so I'm not wearing any," Ginny said with an evil grin as Mrs Weasley, Ron and Hermione joined them in the hall. Ginny followed the three down the stairs as Harry took a moment to look appreciatively at the short denim skirt that was all that separated him from Ginny's skin.

That had been days ago, though, and Harry and Ginny were enjoying their last night at Grimmauld place, this time on the roof. It had become their favourite spot because, though it was not a comfortable place to sleep, no one else knew about it. Mostly they only snogged there before moving to one of the beds, but a few times, things had gone much farther than that. But on that last night of summer happiness and freedom, Harry and Ginny spent long, long hours in that secluded spot. Both knew that when they left for Hogwarts the next morning, their would be less chance for them to be alone together, and that they would both have a lot of responsibility tugging their attention away from their secret relationship.

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That last night, Harry and Ginny had been among the very few who had gone to bed early. Ron, Hermione, and Remus were sitting together in one of the libraries. Both of Harry's best friends had noticed something strange about the hero of the wizarding world that summer, and they were discussing it for the first time together.

"I don't know what's gotten in to him this summer," Hermione had complained, after a comfortable silence.

"Who, Harry?" asked Remus, surprised.

"Yeah, he hasn't been himself," Ron agreed.

"He's seemed fairly happy to me," Remus said.

"That's just it. Harry was never happy to just sit around the house and wait for school to start. We were planning to be gone weeks and weeks ago to chase down Voldemort, but we decided not to when Professor McGonagall offered to make us all Head students. Harry hasn't even once mentioned wanting to be out doing something, and that's not like him," Hermione explained, rather worried.

"You know, you're right. I didn't notice until you mentioned it, but I have never known Harry to be as laid back as he has been this summer," Remus said thoughtfully. "You don't think he's planning something, do you?"

"If he is, he hasn't mentioned it to us," Ron told Remus.

"Would he?" asked the werewolf.

"Yes." Hermione and Ron both said it, and they both sounded very sure.

"Are you sure that there's no one else Harry would have confided in?" asked Remus.

"In the past I might have said Sirius, but obviously not now," Hermione said quietly.

After a long silence, Ron grunted out one name that was half question, half statement, "Ginny?"

"No, not now," Hermione disagreed.

"Are you certain?" the former professor wanted to know.

"When the finally got together, they got close fast. Then Harry broke up with her because he didn't want to endanger her life, and Ginny was mad, and upset and terribly hurt. Harry just went silent," Hermione enlightened.

"Actually, both of them have seemed pretty normal this summer," Ron said with a frown, "I expected them to be all weird around each other and everyone else."

"You're right, it doesn't make sense," Hermione said.

"Actually, I think it makes perfect sense," Remus said, "They're both pretending that they're over each other, and so they're acting normally, but they don't understand that acting normally is the last thing we all expect."

"Its all so sad," Hermione sighed.

"Do you think they'll get back together?" asked Ron.

"No, I think that they got to each other a little too much. I don't think that their relationship will ever be able to work again." Remus seemed sad.

"I suppose you're right," Hermione agreed.

"Too bad, Ginny's been in love with Harry forever," Ron said.

"I thought that he was in love with her too. Then I realised that not even Harry could have given Ginny up if he had truly loved her."


	14. Chapter 14: The Return

**A/N: This has now been updated.**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Return**

Harry stared up at the star spangled ceiling of the Hogwarts' Great Hall and sighed a little. It was so confusing to be back at school after having decided at the end of the previous year not to return. For what may have been the one thousandth time since sitting down to watch the first year class be sorted, Harry's eyes darted to the staff table and rested on Professor McGonagall, who was sitting in the centre, in the high backed chair that had once been reserved for Dumbledore. It was so strange to be sitting in the Great Hall with mountains of food before him, but unable to eat because his stomach jumped and rocked at the thought that he would never see the former Headmaster ever again. Dumbledore was gone. Harry sighed again.

"Is something the matter?" Hermione asked gentility as Ginny and Ron also turned to from their plates to look at Harry.

"No," replied Harry quickly, not wanting to share his melancholy thoughts and ruin his friends' meals as well.

"You're not eating, mate," Ron pointed out between massive bites of his meal.

"Not everyone thinks with their stomachs, Ron," sighed Hermione in frustration.

"I don't either! In fact you said I thought with my-"

"Ron!" cried Hermione, blushing a little as Ron grinned at her.

Harry chuckled a little and took a bite of his potatoes, hoping that that would satisfy Hermione and Ron both.

"Attention!" called McGonagall from the staff table, standing as the food faded from the plates. "I have a few announcements to make!"

The students in the hall all went silent, wanting to hear what their new Headmistress had to say. "This year we would like to welcome Professor Brookes to Hogwarts. She will be taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." McGonagall waited while the scattered applause and open whispering about the small, blushing blonde woman died down. "Secondly, we have made a few changes to the Head Boy and Girl system this year. There will be two additional students filling the roles this year, so that more patrols and supplementary defence lessons can be offered. This year's four will be Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Professor Hagrid is now head of Gryffindor. You may all go now."

As the school filed out, the four newest head students were the topic of conversation everywhere, most particularly the youngest of them. People from every house debated the appointment of the sixth year student, and the fact that every one of the four was in Gryffindor. Hermione, Ron and Ginny pretended that they didn't hear the loud whispers as the herded the students to their common rooms, but Harry just plodded slowly to the Head Student quarters. He muttered the password to the stone that guarded their new rooms, and walked in to find that Ron and Hermione were already standing together at the top of one of the two staircases that flanked the cozy common room. There were two doors at the top of each set of steps that led to what Harry assumed were bedrooms. Across from the main door was a large fireplace surrounded by couches, chairs, desks and tables. Several bookshelves lined the walls, though most were empty. Odd tapestries and paintings covered the stonewalls at random intervals, but what first caught Harry's eye was the elaborate rug that covered the ground between the door and the first couch in front of the fire. In the centre was the Hogwarts crest, and the background was the house colours, but switched so that the colours were behind the opposite quarter of the crest.

Harry glanced up from the rug to find that though Ginny stood at the top of the right hand staircase, her trunk was still at the bottom with his. He went to carry it up the stairs for her, and Ginny rushed to take the other end. "So, do you suppose that it will occur to Hermione and Ron that you girls were probably supposed to have one set of rooms with us boys the other?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Not likely. Think about how long it's taken to occur to them that they are in love with each other," Ginny said it as she dropped her end of the trunk to open the first door.

"Have they noticed that they're in love with each other yet?" asked Harry curiously.

"Weren't you paying any attention this summer?" responded Ginny as Harry hoisted up the trunk on his own and walked in behind Ginny to drop the luggage at the foot of her four-poster bed, hung with deep purple curtains that matched the ones at her window.

"I was busy paying attention to more important things," Harry reminded her as she inspected the desk and the wardrobe, both made of the same red tinged wood as the bed.

"Well, if you put it that way, I'm more than willing to fill you in," Ginny said, "Ron and Hermione have no idea that they're in love. Sometimes they're caught kissing each other, but they're not dating as of yet. So things pretty much stand where they did two months ago."

Ginny and Harry inspected the room together, looking over the desk, bed and dresser again. There were two windows flanking her bed and a small table between the massive furniture and the inky dark porthole to the night sky.

"Wow, this room would be perfect, if only there was a door that lead to yours," Ginny said with a teasing grin.

"What the lady wants, she gets," Harry declared as he created a door then hid it behind a tapestry.

"Perfect!" Ginny said. "Now if only you had your trunk up here so we wouldn't have to leave these rooms until morning!"

"Don't think that every time you say 'if only' that I'll drop everything and arrange things so you get what you want!" protested Harry with a grin.

"Won't you?" asked Ginny with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, but you aren't supposed to know that," Harry said just before he hurried down the stairs to get his trunk. He was in such a rush to get back to Ginny that he only took enough notice of his friend who were still on the opposite landing to make sure he went into his room instead of Ginny's. Had he looked closer, Harry might have noticed that they were sharing another snog, this one coming about when Hermione brought up plans for re-launching her SPEW campaign. Ron had just meant to distract her, but that mission had quickly flown from his mind…

Harry dumped his trunk in his room, barely glancing around to see that it looked much like Ginny's before hurrying through his newly created door. "That was a wonderful idea on you're part, love," Harry said as he let the tapestry fall to hide the door again.

"I'm brilliant, we both know it, now kiss me, Potter!" Ginny demanded.

Harry complied, and then had the initiative to go much farther.

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Loud pounding at her door the next morning woke Ginny from her sleep in her new four-poster bed. She stumbled out from behind the purple curtain and threw it shut behind her. On her way to the door, Ginny stooped to pull Harry's black t-shirt from the previous day over her head while shoving the rest of the clothes that littered her floor behind the door. "Who are you, what do you want, and you better come bearing a gift of coffee!" Ginny called just before opening her door to reveal a stressed looking Hermione.

"Does no one but me wake up on their own!" wailed the bushy haired girl who was the only one of the occupants of the Head Student's dorm to be fully awake and dressed.

"Breathe, Hermione, breathe!" Ginny soothed. "You go wake up my brother and I'll take care of Harry."

"Make sure you're both ready in fifteen minutes or we'll all be late!" Hermione ran down the stairs, still nearly hyperventilating.

"Alright!" Ginny called, shutting the door and hurrying to her bed. "Harry, love, wake up!"

"Gin, let's lock the doors and never leave!" Harry cried, pulling Ginny back into bed with him.

"That might tip someone off that we're dating," Ginny pointed out, standing up and flooding the room with light by flicking her wand at he curtains.

"If we never leave, that wouldn't matter," argued Harry as he ducked into his room to grab clothing. As he came back, he asked, "Did we ever find the loo last night?"

"Nope, we were a little busy," Ginny, pointed out as she stuffed things into her school bag, still wearing Harry's shirt and nothing else.

"Did we try either of the doors on the wall that connects our rooms?" asked Harry, going to investigate the one on Ginny's side.

"Nope!" Ginny called out as she pulled clothing from her trunk.

"I found it, but I also found this annoying thing called a clock. This clock tells me that we have barely five minutes before we need to be in the hall to get our time tables!" Harry said, coming back in and tugging on his shirt and then his robes.

"No time for a shower, then," Ginny sighed regretfully, pulling a baggy black t-shirt over her head.

"Hey, that's mine!" complained Harry, noticing the big red lettering on the front as she pulled up her plaid skirt and shook out her thick waves of red hair.

"Well, if you're really good, then I'll let you have it back tonight. If of course, you can get it off me!" Ginny said as she shrugged on her robes, buttoning only the first few buttons. "Ready?"

"Sure. I'll go back to my room and you can come to the outside door and knock like you're getting me up," said Harry as he kissed Ginny and left.

With a sigh, Ginny prepared herself for another day of lies and subterfuge by concentrating on the reward that would come after the others had gone to bed.

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"Ginny, I'm ta tell ye that Professor McGonagall wants to see ye right away." Hagrid said as he handed Ron, Hermione and Harry their timetables.

"Great!" exclaimed Ginny as she went off to meet the Headmistress.

"Do we know what that's about?" asked Ron, stuffing bacon in his mouth.

"Haven't a clue," Harry said, trying to not to let on that he wished that Ginny were sitting with them. Hermione shook her head.

"Right then, potions first," Ron said, having finished off more food in the few minutes they had been sitting at the table than most students who had been on time for breakfast.

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"Miss Weasley, I would just like to tell you that your first patrol will be tonight from seven until nine. You will be allowed to use the library after everyone leaves to give you time to complete you're homework. Mr Potter will patrol with you and Miss Granger and Mr Weasley will take over at nine. You four will be splitting all the patrol duty until you can meet with the Prefects and make a schedule to have them help you," Professor McGonagall said, observing the student who stood on the other side of the desk she had commandeered in the closest classroom to the great hall. "Please tell the others for me."

"Not a problem, Professor," Ginny said, feeling that the teacher would carry on because there had to be a reason she had decided to talk to only Ginny about this, and in private.

Ginny was proven right when McGonagall spoke moments later. "Miss Weasley, you are younger than the others. I want you to be sure that this will not be in the way of you're school work, or that if you don't want to be Head Girl for some other reason, you don't have to."

"In other words, you just found out that Harry and I broke up and you want to know if I can handle working so closely with him," Ginny guessed shrewdly, "Either that or suddenly decided that you only want three Head Students for no particular reason."

"Well, your first guess might not be far off the mark," admitted the teacher.

"I can handle it," Ginny said, "In fact, it's kind of nice to not have the responsibility of being the one that Harry confesses everything to anymore. He had a lot of weight on his shoulders, and it's hard to take on some of it and still remember that Harry is the person you're supposed to be in love with. I think I was in love with Harry so long as a little girl, that I didn't really know what to do when I finally got to be his girlfriend. I think I need some one that I can just be around with out worrying about upsetting him so much that it will affect the rest of the world."

"Alright, Miss Weasley, you may go," said the Professor.

Ginny murmured a quiet goodbye and headed out of the classroom, both saddened that she had been forced to lie to a teacher she liked and respected and elated that she had been able to pull it off. It occurred to Ginny that that was how she had felt almost since the moment they had started this plan. Elation and sadness made for a giddy combination, Ginny was finding.

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"Alright, class, take out your books. We can start with chapter one, by reading about modern dark arts. Later we'll start countering curses," said the timid Professor Brookes as she surveyed one of her seventh year DADA classes. She had two, because her classes had just been made mandatory for every student. This class combined the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw houses, and was the second she had taught. Her last class had been an unruly lot and she had nearly had a few snotty Slytherins walk out. Yet, by taking away a few house points, she had managed to rein them in. It surprised the young woman that the students could care so much about a stupid inter-house competition when a war was being waged around them.

"Professor, we will be doing actual spell work won't we?" asked a bushy haired girl sharply.

"Of course we will," said Professor Brookes, wondering how else she could be expected to teach the class.

"So you're not planning to follow the Ministry's curriculum?" asked the same girl, who had all eyes on her.

Before Professor Brookes could reply, a tall, dark haired boy came to her defence. "Lay off, Hermione. She's not Umbridge," he said, "She's not even British."

"I just wanted to make sure-"

"Hermione, give her a chance. So," the boy continued, "Sorry about my friend. She just takes her education seriously."

"That's quite alright, Mr…?" trailed off the teacher, not sure if the boy sprawling so casually in his chair was being sincere or not.

"Potter," said the boy wearily, "Harry Potter."

"I see," said the Professor, purposely not reacting because the teen seemed to be expecting so sort of embarrassing scene, "Well, I'll assure both you and Miss…?"

"Granger," the girl said promptly, and the teacher nodded in thanks.

"I assure you both that there will be a practical aspect to the course, but only for those who do their homework. I have to know that you understand the concepts before I let you try to use them. Now, chapter one, please," said Professor Brookes, hoping that the students would start working and that this class would go better than the one with the pug-faced girl in it that she had taught earlier that morning. She nearly sighed when Miss Granger spoke up again, though she had at least managed to raise her hand this time.

"Where exactly are you from? I can't quite place the accent, though it sounds vaguely American…"

"I'm Canadian," said the newest Hogwarts professor explained. There was the slightest murmur of interest through the class, though some students remained staring out the window. "Well, get to work," said Professor Brookes quietly, very glad when the class did just that, with only a few groans and sighs in protest.

"Next class we'll take up the homework and decide whether its time to put what you learned into practise," Professor Brookes said just before the bell rang. Suddenly an owl swooped through the window and the quiet teacher sprang to her feet, nearly ripping the letter from the bird. She scanned the letter quickly, then sighed and sank back into her chair. "You gave me a scare, Alex," she scolded the owl as the students filed out, "Just see to it that you keep brining more news like this, and I'll forgive you."

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"That is one odd teacher," Ron said as they walked into the transfiguration classroom.

"She seems nice enough. Very serious about the work," Harry said, trying to be fair.

"Odd beats Umbridge any time," Hermione pointed out.

"She has you there, Ron," Harry said, shaking off his dark thoughts, "Though I wish she wouldn't waste so much time on book work. A little I can understand, but who knows when Voldemort will strike next? We need to be ready now."

"Thank you for that cheerful note, Potter. Now, unless you have more optimistic outlooks to share, could we perhaps start the lesson?" asked McGonagall dryly.


	15. Chapter 15: The Vapid, Vicious Vixen

**A/N: This chapter is now updated as well...**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Vapid, Vicious Vixen**

Ginny watched Harry as he stood laughing with three girls in her year. He looked only the slightest bit ill at ease, and Ginny had to wonder if she was just reading that into the situation because she was a little jealous. Ginny then smiled when panic flashed in his eyes as four more girls approached. Harmony, Sarah, Sammie and Sasha were all in her year and Gryffindor, but Ginny was never very close to them. When Ginny saw the look of panic, she knew that those tiny pangs of jealousy she had felt were utterly ridiculous. Harry was hers, and hers alone.

"Hey, Ginny!" Colin Creevey called as he rushed over to his redheaded year-mate, nearly tripping over his own gangly limbs. "Hi," he said breathlessly.

"Hi, Colin," Ginny said with a warm smile. He was such a nice guy, though a little clumsy of late.

"Want to walk to charms together?" he asked

"Sure," Ginny replied, holding back a laugh when Colin immediately turned and nearly tripped over his own feet, spilling his books everywhere.

Later, after her last class, Ginny was suddenly pulled into an unused corridor hidden by a sudden turn and a strategically placed tapestry. Harry's mouth descended instantly on hers. He pulled back a moment later, and grinned as he caught his breath. "I've been wanting to do that since I saw Colin chatting you up earlier."

"Colin wouldn't have got the chance if my beloved boy friend wasn't busy being adored by every female around." Ginny pouted, though she thought it was a real laugh that Harry thought Colin was interested in her.

"What I'm I supposed to do about it? I can hardly say 'Sorry ladies, if I keep talking to you, my secret girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, will really get mad, and I'd much rather not sleep alone'?" Harry pointed out.

"Try it once, most people will think you're joking, but some might stay away," Ginny said.

"I will, just as soon as you tell Colin the same thing," Harry said, kissing Ginny briefly then disappearing around one corner.

Ginny ducked out of the hall by another exit, and was immediately ambushed by the other Gryffindor sixth year girls.

"Ginny!" squealed Harmony, "We've missed you so much in the dorm!"

"I've, er, missed you too," Ginny lied. Really it had been a relief to be released from the constant chatter and inane gossip.

"We were like thinking that we should all like do something together!" Harmony suggested with a flounce of her blonde curls and a flash of her oh-so-blue eyes.

"Yeah," Sammie agreed, mimicking her friend using her own black locks.

"We could do something, like right now! Before dinner," Sarah sounded very much as if someone had told her exactly what to say, but her blue eyes were all innocence.

"Yeah, like you could take us on a tour of the Head's dorms!" said Sasha, whose manner was much smoother. Even her deep brown hair was a slicker than Sarah's slightly lighter locks, though her grey-green eyes betrayed much more mischief than Sarah's baby blues did.

Ginny smiled weakly as the Sasha's friends squealed their approval of her plan. The redhead allowed herself to be dragged off, knowing the four girls wouldn't give up until they had whatever it was that they wanted. When they reached the entrance to the Head Boys and Girls' rooms, Ginny tried to mutter the password quietly, but still resolved to change it as soon as the others were gone.

"Oh my gosh!" squealed Sammie.

"So, like who sleeps where?" asked Harmony, looking less impressed by the common room than the other girls.

"Ron and Hermione have the two on the left, Harry and I are to the right," Ginny said as she pointed to one set of stairs than the other.

"Oh my gosh!" screeched Sasha "Your room is next to his? You like sleep next to him!"

"Who? Harry?" asked Ginny, wondering how they would react if she told them that she usually slept _with _him.

"Yes!" cried all four of Ginny's year mates, sounding slightly desperate.

"Then, yeah, his room is next to mine," Ginny said casually, suppressing the urge to laugh at the girls who looked positively faint at the thought.

"Oh my gosh," said Sarah weakly.

"So, how bout that tour?" asked Harmony.

"Um, okay," Ginny said, not sure she wanted them in her room. "This is the common room. My bedroom is this way…"

The red haired girl led the way up the right hand staircase to the first door. Ginny hesitated a moment, then decided that it would be simply too rude to not let the others in at that point. When she thought of the four of them approaching Harry that morning, Ginny nearly pushed them out of the dorms all together, then it occurred to her that she didn't want to be that jealous girlfriend, so she opened the door. Throwing back the hangings, Ginny collapsed on the bed and watched the others follow her in. Her room looked much like it had on the night she moved in, though a few of her clothes were in the closet and the odd book lay around. Mostly she spent her time in Harry's room, with him. In there, their books lay in messy stacks around the chairs they had placed under the window along with bits of parchment and quills. Their clothing tangled in the laundry basket and even in the drawers and closets. Posters of both their favourite teams and bands cluttered the walls, crowding in around postcards sent by everyone from her brothers in Romania and Egypt to a few from Sirius while he was on the run. There was even a menu from the restaurant they'd eaten at on her last day at Privet Drive. A few pictures of the Weasley family, Harry and Hermione were mixed in with the other junk covering the walls, and Harry had tacked up his most cherished picture of his parents wedding up as well, the one that showed Sirius laughing at the side of the happy couple. If anyone had gone in that room, they might have discovered clues to the relationship between the two teens, but no one ever did. Ron and Hermione were rapidly becoming more involved with each other, which left less time for anyone else, even their best friend. When they did hang out with Harry, or even Ginny, it was usually in the common room, or the library after everyone else had been sent to bed. Ginny had used to sneak back to her bed in the early hours, but Hermione hadn't come to wake them up since that first morning, so she had gradually began to spend the whole night with Harry.

"What's in there?" asked Sarah, pointing to the bathroom door. Ginny didn't really want to reply, lest the four realize that they could access Harry's room through there, but figured that it would be a little suspicious if she didn't answer at all.

"The loo," Ginny said, half surprised when her reply didn't stop Harmony from going in, her cronies following.

"What's through this other door?" called out the only blonde.

"Uh, Harry's room," Ginny replied with a twinge of trepidation. Harmony was a vapid and vicious vixen, but she wasn't stupid. She might be able to tell that Ginny and Harry were at least sleeping together, if not dating. The girl also didn't lack the courage it took to push open the door and invade Harry's private room. "Really, we shouldn't go in when he's not around…"

But even though Ginny rushed to cut them off, Harmony threw open the door as her friends squealed, "Oh my gosh, you share his bathroom?"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" asked Harmony, instantly zeroing in on the lacy black bra that was on the floor near the bed.

"Oh my gosh!" squealed the blonde's three friends all at once.

"I wonder whom this belongs to?" asked Harmony, tossing her blonde curls and smiling despite the cold anger snapping in her icy blue eyes.

"Could be any of them, really," Ginny said casually, calling on all the acting skills she had to pull this off convincingly.

"Any of who?" asked Harmony eagerly.

"The girls Harry's been sleeping with," Ginny said, shooting the other girl a look that said 'duh' very loudly. "Hermione and I count at least four, though sometimes it's hard to be certain there isn't a fifth. Harry thinks he's being so clever about hiding them, and maybe he's doing better than we think."

"Don't you care?" asked Sarah wonderingly.

"Why would I?" asked Ginny, affecting a baffled look.

"Didn't you two like used to date?" asked Sammie.

"Yeah, months ago, but we broke up," Ginny said, as though she still didn't quite get their point.

"I heard he broke up with you," Sasha said, trying to look sympathetic rather than nosy, and failing rather badly at it.

"I scarcely remember," Ginny waved it off, "It really doesn't seem to matter anymore. Don't get me wrong, Harry's still my friend, but I've set my sights on someone a little more mature and a lot more fun than melodramatic, moody Harry Potter."

"Who?" asked Sammie.

"I'll never tell," Ginny said with a wink.

"So, does Harry have girls here often?" asked Harmony, clearly more interested in inspecting the bra for possible clues to its owner than hearing about the redhead's love life.

"I don't think he's slept alone in the three weeks since he got here," Ginny said, more truthfully than the other girls could ever have guessed.

"Really?" purred Harmony, "Well, we should go down to dinner. Coming Gin?"

"In a bit," Ginny said, resolving to wash that bra several times before she wore it again. She really wanted to change that password as well, so, to that end she said, "I'm going to put away my books first."

"Right, then, bye!" Harmony said perkily as she exited Harry's room via the front door.

"Bye!" echoed Sammie, Sasha and Sarah as the followed her out. Ginny just shook her head before tossing her books by the chairs where she and Harry would likely do their homework later that night. She picked up the bra Harmony had dropped and buried it at the bottom of the hamper where all the bits of laundry that were unmistakably female went. After changing the password, Ginny walked toward the Great Hall, and inadvertently caught up with the four girls. Not wanting to talk to them any more, she walked slowly, and found herself listening to what they were saying.

"So, are you still going after him?" asked the black haired Sammie.

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Harmony.

"Well, Ginny said he was already sleeping with a bunch of other girls…" Sarah pointed out.

"So? I'll just be the one to make him forget them all," Harmony replied with steely determination, "No matter what I have to do."

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"Harry, remember we have the first patrol tonight," Ginny said as she dropped down beside him, across from Ron and Hermione. Dinner was already half over, but Ginny still managed to grab most of her favourites and quickly tucked in.

"You're legions of adoring fans will be disappointed that you're tied up with your ex girlfriend until after their curfew," Hermione said teasingly.

"Harry's got adoring fans?" asked Ron, who clearly hadn't been paying attention to much but Hermione- who really was not his girlfriend, as he told Ginny repeatedly when she teased him- since returning to Hogwarts.

"Haven't you noticed all the girls hanging all over him?" asked Hermione half in wonder and half in exasperation.

"Not really," Ron said, "I haven't really noticed what any other girls have been doing. I'm paying too much attention to you." With that, Ron caught Hermione in another of their surprise kisses. By the time they surfaced, Ginny had finished her meal.

"I almost forgot to tell you guys," she said, "I changed the password. It's 'Mouldy Shorts'."

"Real mature," Harry commented with a snort as Ron laughed and Hermione smiled.

"Hey, I'm the youngest so I'm supposed to be immature. So," Ginny went on, raising one eyebrow, "What's your excuse?"

"Hermione would tell you that I never got to be a child at my aunt's house so I'm acting out now," Harry said with a devilish half grin, "I just think I spend too much time with Ron and the twins."

Silence fell.

Hermione looked scandalised, Ron looked uncertain and Ginny looked furious.

"Lighten up you lot, I was only joking," said Harry, deeply regretting that the three of them had ever seen Privet Drive. Before this summer, the rare jokes or comments he had made hadn't been taken so seriously, and Harry had been fine with that.

"Some day, I will make those people pay for what they did to you," Ginny said before stalking off, power crackling just below the surface of her stiff frame as she went.

"Gods, what's with her?" asked Harry, trying to look unaffected.

"Don't shrug this off, Harry!" Hermione said angrily, "Ginny was serious, and I hope she knows she can expect help from me when that day comes!"

When Hermione too had left, Harry looked at Ron, hoping desperately for an ally, "Girls get the strangest ideas." That was a statement he was certain Ron would relate to, but he was taken by surprise again.

"Hermione might get the odd screw ball one like spew, but she and Ginny are right this time. Those people have to be made to pay for what they've done," Ron looked deadly serious, and that made Harry think that maybe it was time he took the Dursleys and their abuse seriously…

But years of shrugging off the pain so he wouldn't have to feel it took over. He simply shook his head and got up, hoping to find someone in the mood to discuss Quidditch rather than how being locked in a cupboard as a child may or may not have affected his later life.

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An hour later, when Harry and Ginny met up to start their patrols, Ginny was in a much better mood, and began to relate the conversations she had had with Harmony and the others to Harry. Sometimes he laughed, but when Ginny told him of the last thing she had heard the blonde girl say, he paled considerably.

"So some sixth year little blonde bimbo wants to convince me to sleep with her, and you're alright with this? You find it funny?" he asked.

"Well, I wouldn't find it funny if you took her up on it, but as I have every confidence that you won't, yeah I do think it's rather funny. Don't you think its funny that Colin Creevey asked me out just before we walked into Charms?" asked Ginny.

"No!" roared Harry.

"Keep it down, love, the kiddies are still up and about," Ginny said teasingly. She pulled Harry into a dark alcove hidden behind a statue and kissed him fiercely, her hands slipping into the waistband of his jeans to fondle him. When he was fully erect and desperately hard, Ginny retreated with an evil grin. "Time to be going, dearest."

"What I'm I supposed to do about this?" asked Harry plaintively.

"Hmm," said Ginny thoughtfully, "Refer to my earlier advice."

As Ginny continued off down the hall, Harry thought for a moment, a feat made harder by the fact that all his blood had recently rushed away from his brain. "Refer to her earlier advice…" Then Ginny's words came back to him.

"_Keep it down, love, the kiddies are still up and about."_

"Witch," he muttered, not meaning it at all flatteringly. Harry caught up to Ginny outside an empty classroom, and scooped her into his arms, carrying her in and locking the door. He sat her down on the teacher's desk and leaned in to kiss her. He let her hands roam freely, as his went to work under her skirt. Soon he was kneeling with her legs spread on either side of him, his mouth below her kilted up skirt, her knickers bunched in his fist. Ginny was whimpering as he used his tongue, teeth and lips until she was teetering on the very edge. Then he stopped.

Instantly Ginny recognised the payback he had planned, but was too fuzzy headed to do anything about it for long enough that he escaped, whistling merrily. But Harry didn't go far, as Ginny discovered as she walked out of the classroom, fuming at his trick and particularly at the fact that he had taken her panties with him.

Before she even saw him, Harry had her up against the wall behind a different statue. He had entered her once and pulled out when suddenly he stilled. Ginny was about to complain when she noticed what he had: footsteps approaching.

The stood frozen in horror for long minutes as two people approached, talking about a rare plant that one of them had seen on a recent holiday. When Harry and Ginny recognised the pair as Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, they were caught between laughter and tears. The moment the other two had passed, Ginny clenched her muscles around Harry, nearly making him lose control. So, a little sooner than was probably prudent, both were finished and Harry was slipping out from behind the statue checking that the coast was clear. He was already almost around the corner before Ginny realised that her knickers were still in the pocket of his jeans.

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Because of Ginny's warning, Harry wasn't surprised when Harmony Blackwell approached him the next day while he was on his own. The girl had her blonde curls carefully arranged and her robe was open to reveal a very short skirt and a shirt with so few buttons done up that Harry figured that she might as well have not bothered with the ones she had fastened.

"Hi, Harry," she purred seductively.

"Hi," Harry replied with a bit of a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, it's more what I can do to you," she smiled provocatively, "I mean for you, of course."

"Did one of the teachers give you a message for me?" asked Harry with a bit of a frown.

"No! I'm not some messenger," clearly the girl was put out, which couldn't have worked better for Harry.

"Sorry, er- what's your name?" he asked with another little frown.

"Harmony," said the girl, then she went on when Harry still looked oblivious, "Harmony Blackwell, sixth year Gryffindor."

"Sixth year? Really?" asked Harry, raking a sceptical eye over the girl, and not feeling bad about doing it when he thought about what Ginny had heard her say.

"Yes," snapped the girl who most boys thought of as a vixen, but whom Harry Potter obviously considered a little girl. Really he though of her more as vapid and vicious, but he was pretty sure Harmony would think herself equal to overcoming those opinions.

"Well, maybe I'll see you around some time," Harry said, walking away before stopping to turn back and ask one more thing. "Have you seen Lavender or Parvati? Or even Susan Bones or maybe Padma?"

"No," snapped the girl.

"Right," Harry said as he walked off again, trying not to laugh as he thought about all the trouble that he had saved himself by nipping the Harmony problem in the bud.

Oh how wrong he was.


	16. Chapter 16: A Flash of Blonde Hair

**Chapter Sixteen**

**A Flash of Blonde Hair**

Harry was nearly to the point when any flash of blonde hair made him cringe and want desperately to run away. Harmony had been following him around, talking to him, giggling, trying to entice him for over a week. The girl didn't know the meaning of the word 'subtle' either. Not when it came to her wardrobe, or her comments or when it came to brushing up against him suddenly and without warning. Harmony was starting to drive Harry utterly insane, and to his fury, all Ginny would do is laugh when he complained about the other girl. His friends might even have been less sympathetic. Ron just asked him why he didn't take her up on what she was offering, and Hermione refused to comment.

So Harry was very relieved when they located a bit of information regarding a shrine to Slytherin where Hermione thought that they might find another Horcrux. Late the night that Hermione made her discovery, the three best friends sat in their common room and planned. When Harry finally stumbled into his room around four in the morning, Ginny was already in his bed, lying awake. "We leave the day after tomorrow."

Ginny just nodded and pulled Harry close and buried her tear-streaked face in his chest. Harry stroked her hair and held her. "I love you, baby, I love you," he murmured into her ear.

When they woke a few hours later, Harry looked down at the beautiful girl in his arms and sighed. "What class do you have first?"

"Defence," Ginny said quietly.

"I have potions," Harry said. "Want to skip?"

"Think you can get away with it?" asked Ginny gazing up into his emerald eyes.

"I think McGonagall told the teachers to go easy on us this year. I'll just tell them I was researching something and lost track of time. Will Professor Brookes give you detention?"

"Nah. I'm top of the class, and so are you, so when I tell her I missed class to do some research with you she won't really be able to say much," Ginny said, "If she does, I'll just point out the fact that I got perfect scores on my last six assignments."

"Perfect? Really?" asked Harry, immensely proud of her.

"Yeah," Ginny smiled, "I suspect its because I'm dating this guy who insists that I be able to defend myself against everything that could conceivably attack me. He's been giving me private lessons since term started."

"Wow, you're boyfriend must have some will power. If I were supposed to be giving you private lessons I know I'd be tempted to use the time alone in a very different way," Harry's grin was teasing and very suggestive.

"You know, once or twice that's the way it's played out, now that you mention it," Ginny said with a matching grin. "So, since we're taking the morning off, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know, but let's get out of here before Ron and Hermione come to find us. I don't want them knowing that we're both skipping this morning. If they knew, Hermione might jump to conclusions about us," Harry said, still marvelling over the fact that his brilliant friend hadn't figured it out yet.

"Why don't we go into Hogsmeade? You can tell Ron and Hermione that you went in to pick up a few supplies." Ginny suggested, finally levering herself up from the bed and out into the frosty late fall air.

"Sounds good," Harry said as they both rooted around for clothing in his closet. Hers was further back, partially hidden against the off chance that Hermione or Ron or someone else would be nosing around in the room.

As they walked out, dressed in jeans, sweaters and carrying light jackets, Harry and Ginny paused a moment to fire yesterday's clothes into the hamper, but otherwise made no effort to tidy the messy room. They slipped through the common room quietly one after the other. Luckily Hermione and Ron had yet to stir from their rooms, though they did meet a few people on their way through the halls. The early risers who were headed to breakfast didn't really notice Harry and Ginny, even before they turned down a deserted hall. Harry and Ginny paused for a moment. "Honeydukes won't be open yet, so we can't take that way out. I thought we might be better off just strolling out through the front gate," Harry suggested.

"I suppose if we look like we have permission, then it won't occur to people that we don't," Ginny agreed as they walked casually out the front door and down the sloping lawn. They were soon through the gates, wondering down the streets of the small village. "Harry, I just thought, what if someone recognises us?"

"Hadn't thought of that…" Harry said, stopping and wondering if they should just return to the castle and go to class like everyone else.

"Here, we'll just do this," and with a wave of her wand, Ginny turned her hair from beautiful red waves to bouncy blonde curls.

"Wow, you look just like Harmony," Harry said with a teasing grin, "Do you feel like suggesting that we study together in an empty classroom?"

"No, why?" asked Ginny suspiciously.

"That's Harmony's latest trick. She suggested it three times yesterday," Harry said with a shudder.

"One day, when the war is over, I am going to sit down with that girl and tell her off for hitting on you," Ginny said darkly.

"Just make sure you don't do that until after we tell you're family. I don't think they'd appreciate being told about our relationship after the irrelevant little girl who thinks she's going to be my girlfriend," Harry said with a laugh.

They spent the first bit of the morning picking up the supplies that Harry would use to excuse his absence to his friends, then they window shopped for a few minutes before going to grab a drink at the Three Broomsticks. They were sipping their butterbeers when a sudden voice called to Harry. "Hey, look over here Harry!"

Startled, Harry looked past Ginny's newly fluffy blonde locks, just as a photograph was snapped. Amidst a storm of photographs, Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and just made them disappear. It wasn't Apparation exactly, because the pair had been sitting down when he made it happen, but Harry was too glad to be away from the photographer to really care at the moment. He was surprised though, to look around and realize that they were in his bed at Hogwarts. How many times had Hermione told him you can't Apparate on school grounds? If that was true (and Harry pretty much assumed that anything Hermione told him was), then what had just happened? When Harry voiced the question aloud, Ginny shook her head.

"I haven't a clue," she said, "I figured you knew."

"Nope," Harry said, and then he glanced down at his watch. "Do you feel like skipping anymore classes today?"

"No, I have Transfiguration second, McGonagall would kill me," Ginny said as she pulled at a blonde curl thoughtfully before returning her hair to normal.

"Grab you're books then, we're going to be late as it is," Harry said, as they both leapt to their feet and hurried off to their respective classes. Just outside the Transfiguration room, Harry stopped Ginny and gave her a kiss.

"This morning was fun, love," He said as he walked away.

So, flushed and breathing raggedly, Ginny ducked into her classroom. Harry could hear her apologising to McGonagall as he hurried in the direction of the DADA classroom. As he walked in and took his front row seat, he gave Professor Brookes a crooked smile. "Sorry, I had to run into Hogsmeade to grab some supplies. I meant to be back in time for this class, but I ran a little late."

"Take you're seat, Harry. I won't give you detention if you can tell me all the protective properties of Phoenix tears," said the young teacher.

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The first clue Harry had that something strange was going on came when he walked into the great hall the morning before his departure and all conversation stopped entirely for a moment before starting up again even more furiously. That he may have shrugged off because it had been happening to him, off and on, for six years. However, the morning's second clue arrived in the form of a gaggle of giggling, gawking girls, who thrust the finial clue (this in the form of glossy magazines that they wanted him to sign) at him. That thick trashy 'newspaper' was what most convinced Harry that something distinctly odd was going on, what with the cover photo and the headline above it that loudly screamed:

'POTTER'S PRINCESS' 

A stunned Harry looked down to see his current shock mirrored on the face of his photographic self. Most of the bottom right corner of the picture was taken up by Ginny's hair, which had of course been fluffy and blonde at the time the photo was taken. The corkscrew locks bounced and danced as his girlfriend first went to look back at the flashing camera behind her than turned so her face was hidden before much beyond pale skin could be seen. As Harry stared down at the magazine, he let one word slip that caused Hermione to give him a disapproving look before pulling him down to sit beside her. She took the magazine from Harry's loose grip and tossed it to Ron. He glanced at it then threw the glossy tabloid at the girls who had originally presented Harry with the horrid thing.

"Something to tell us?" asked Hermione with a raised eyebrow.

"See, it was yesterday when I went for supplies. I uh, met up with her and then we went for a drink," Harry stalled, not sure how to tell Ron that he had been secretly dating his sister for months. "She was cutting class…"

"I bet she followed you," Hermione said with an acidic touch in her voice, "Probably figured she could get you on your own. Probably called the photographer herself!"

"Yeah, that girl has been obsessive lately," Ron said, confusing Harry momentarily before he was distracted by Hermione heaping food on all of their plates. They planned to leave while the rest of the school ate lunch, so Hermione seemed to have taken it upon herself to make sure they all got enough to eat. She had even gone to the kitchens to ask the house-elves to pack them something for later.

Ron ate with his usual gusto, digging in to even the extra portions Hermione had doled out. He had been all for leaving the very night that they had located the shrine, but Hermione had insisted they have a day to pack. Then Harry had looked at their class schedule and suggested they would be more likely to get more time away unnoticed if they went to McGonagall's class in the morning and if they waited to the whole school was busy eating.

"The girl needs to get a life, and a name change! I mean, honestly, have you ever met someone who destroys peace faster than 'Harmony' Blackwell?" Hermione asked. She hadn't liked the girl since the previous year when she had set her sights briefly on Ron because Harry was taken by Ginny.

"Er, no," said Harry, now realising that there really wasn't anyway anyone could connect Ginny to the girl in the photo. "What did the article say?"

"Oh, the usual 'poor boy who lived has found happiness with mysterious girl' Then it brings up all the old stuff Rita Skeeter wrote about you and I, mentioning Viktor, of course." Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed away her plate. "Come on, we have to check over the luggage before class. I don't want anything holding us up at lunch."

Harry choked down the last of his breakfast in record time before hurrying out of the Hall. Not only did he want to escape the whispers and make sure he was packed, he had something else he felt he had to do before he left.

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Ginny slowly made her solitary way down from the Head tower the morning that Harry, Ron and Hermione were to leave. Though she had managed to hold off the tears that had been gathering since she had first awoken that morning, her heart still felt heavy. Not only was the trio going off with out her as per their usual, but they would be rushing directly into the face of danger. Even if no one was hurt, Ginny feared that the need to do something would overtake them and they wouldn't come back. She wasn't sure that she could stand being without Harry anymore. He had become so much a part of her daily life, from the moment they woke, limbs tangled, to the moment they collapsed into sleep at night, plus a thousand stolen moments throughout the day. Ginny sighed heavily as she plodded on, until a hectic tapping at the window to her right invaded her bubble of self-pity.

Ginny looked quickly up to see an odd looking brown owl begging entry. Recognising the bird her twin brothers called Loki, Ginny let him in and took his package. There was a letter and a magazine. She looked at the trashy tabloid first, and was surprised to see the picture that that reporter had snapped yesterday. Ginny had forgotten all about it in the surprise of disappearing from the bar and landing in Harry's bed, then in the stir of getting to class on time and finally in the depressing reality of Harry's coming departure. Shaking her head and wondering what else could possibly go wrong, Ginny opened the letter and read the missive from Fred and George.

'Gin,

Are we going to have to beat him up for you?

F&G'

Ginny shook her head and smiled even though she hated how over protective they were sometimes.

"F&G,

First off, I never need you to beat anyone up for me. Ever. Secondly, Harry and I went out very briefly months ago, and we broke up months ago. I am more than over him. He's my friend now and nothing more.

And if I weren't over him, I'd hardly need a magazine article to tell me he's over me. After all, his bedroom is next to mine. If you were really interested, I could probably tell you the exact number of nights he's spent alone since we got here.

So, mind your own business, I can take care of myself!

Love,

G.'

Ginny sent the letter on its way, and continued on her way. She would probably have pretty much missed breakfast by now, but she wasn't really hungry. She had brought her books with her but class didn't start for another forty-five minutes, so Ginny decided to see who was about in the Great Hall. Moments later though, Ginny heard Harmony's voice around the corner. She slowed to a stop, having made a habit of trying to figure out what the girl planned to do so she could warn Harry if necessary. That was a lesson she had learned after accidentally overhearing the blonde telling Sarah, Sammie and Sasha that she planed to sneak up on Harry after potions and kiss him when he wasn't expecting it. Harmony figured that that was the way to stop his annoying habit of treating her like a young child.

"So, like you're really going to tell everyone that it was you?" asked Sarah excitedly.

"Duh! Who else could it have been?" asked Harmony. "Think about the girls Harry dates. There's not one among them with hair like that. Except me!"

"Well, I don't know… Harry doesn't really seem to like you very much," Sasha pointed out fretfully.

"I'll say it's an act. You know that he dates a lot of girls, and he doesn't want to hurt their feelings. Harry so sweet that way," sighed Harmony. "See, aren't I convincing?"

"But will anyone believe you?" asked Sammie.

"Sure they will. I'm just going to tell one or two girls and say that they can't tell anyone else, and you guys will do the same," Harmony said, "In fact, that picture was just about the best thing that could have happened. Now any of them who thought that he was only dating them will break up with him."

"But what about whoever it really was? Won't they tell people that it wasn't you?" asked Sarah.

"No," said Harmony scathingly. "Think for a second, stupid. When we figured out which girls Harry was going out with, how many were there?"

"Six," said Sarah succinctly.

"Right, there's Lavender and Parvati and Padma Patil, Susan Bones, Luna Lovegood and Hannah Abbot. None of them have hair like me," Harmony pointed out. "So, who ever Harry was really with, was in disguise. That means she didn't want to be recognised, so she isn't likely to stand up and contradict me."

"I don't know," said Sammie, who wasn't certain at all that Harry was dating all the girls her friends thought he was. It seemed to Sammie that if Harry was seen talking to any girl, the others immediately added her to the list. She even thought that they might have mixed up the Patil twins and that Harry had really only been standing talking to one of them twice, not both of them. "Harry might not like you lying about him, and he might not want to date you even more."

"You saw him in the Great Hall. Harry hates publicity, so I'll just make it clear that I'll go to the press and tell them some sob story about how he broke my heart if he doesn't play along. Harry Potter will be mine!" Harmony said.

"_Whether he likes it or not," _Ginny added grimly to herself as she turned around and took a different route to the dinning hall in hopes that she could catch Harry to warn him before Harmony pounced.

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Unfortunately, Harmony caught a totally unprepared Harry a few corridors away from his room mere minutes after Ginny had rushed off in search of him. "Harry," she purred at the sight of him. "Did you see the papers this morning?"

"Yes, actually I did," he replied.

"Then I suppose you know already that the whole school is saying that I'm the one in the photo," she let out a little laugh, one that grated on Harry's nerves.

"Really?" he asked, secretly glad that they were linking him to the vile blonde girl rather than Ginny.

"I don't think that I'll be able to convince any one otherwise unless you tell me who it was," she said with a smile.

"Well, what if I don't want the rumours corrected?" asked Harry as a plan occurred to him. He hated to deceive people, but to get rid of Harmony, he was willing to do it. Besides, the girl probably deserved that more than most people did.

"Oh?" asked Harmony, hiding her surprise at how well the plan was working, "Why ever not?"

"Well, maybe I would rather have been sitting across from you that day," Harry said, while thinking _Sure, I'd like to sit with you about as much as a snowball likes to sit by a fire. _

"You could have just asked," Harmony pointed out.

"Well, I would have, but I don't date anyone publicly. I don't like putting others in danger," Harry said with a bitter smile that he had so much practice at that he barely had to concentrate to paste it on. "One of the downsides of being the 'Boy-Who-Lived'," he continued.

"That's too bad," said Harmony, excitedly thinking that he meant that he liked her a lot rather than not at all. "But maybe I don't care about the danger of it. Maybe I like you enough to risk it."

"Sorry, I'd rather not risk any innocent lives, particularly yours, and the people close to me tend to die. My parents, Cedric Diggory, my godfather, Dumbledore, just to name a few. You don't want to be next." Harry said, feeling really bad, despite reminding himself that this girl had made his life hell since he had first spoken to her. Harry walked away then, thinking he had finally shaken off Harmony Blackwell by warning her of the potential threat to her life.

His words had definitely scared the younger girl. Harry had seen the surprise and fear in her blue eyes.

Suddenly Harry saw the same expression on Ginny's face in his mind. He didn't think he could stand it if she suddenly realised on day that being with him wasn't worth the risk and that their charade was unlikely to keep the real world and the war at bay forever. Harry needed Ginny more than he could ever explain to her…

Suddenly he was rushing back to the Head's dorms at top speed. He needed to convince Ginny that he loved her more than life itself, and that need only reaffirmed the decision he had made earlier. Harry had something to give Ginny…

He quickly dug through his trunk and pulled out the lumpy bundle that his aunt had given him the night he left Privet Drive. He hadn't told anyone about the package or its contents, but he knew it was time to give Ginny something that he had planned to give her from the moment he saw it…

Just as he was about to rush off again in search of his girlfriend, Ginny ran through the door to his room. "Harry, I've been looking for you for ages! You'll never believe what Harmony's planning to do-"

"Gin, I took care of that already, but I have something important to talk to you about," Harry cut her off then lead her to sit on his bed. "You know I love you more than anything or anyone, right?"

"Of course, Harry, and I love you even more than that," Ginny said, taking his hand.

"I just want you to know that. I want to be sure that you realise how dangerous what we're doing is. That Voldemort will kill you if he ever finds out," Harry said, pain in his emerald eyes. "I want you to be sure that you know what you're risking. If you want me to, I'll let you go. I really will." Now the pain was even more evident, but so was a steely determination.

"Harry, it would hurt me even more than Voldemort could if you let me go!" Ginny assure him, staring into Harry's eyes, trying to convince him that it was the honest to goodness truth.

"Oh Gods, Gin," Harry sighed, leaning his forehead against hers. "You can't believe how relieved I am to hear you say that."

"I love you," she said simply.

"I love you, too, Ginny," Harry said, "And that's why I want you to have this." Harry pulled out a beautiful ring on a long silver chain. The band was silver engraved with twisting vines and set with emeralds and diamonds that sparkled almost as much as the tears that leaked from Ginny's eyes when she saw it.

"Oh, Harry, it's gorgeous!" she exclaimed.

"It was my mothers. She gave it to my aunt to hold on to years and years ago, and then my aunt gave it to me last summer. I want you to have it, so you know that I'm always going to love you, even when I'm not here to tell you." Harry said, fumbling to do the clasp up around Ginny's neck.

"Oh, Harry," was all Ginny could say before she kissed him.


	17. Chapter 17: They’re Gone

**Chapter Seventeen**

**They're Gone**

It took a day and a half for everyone to realise that the Boy-Who-Lived and his two closest friends had pulled a major disappearing act. Ginny, of course, knew from the moment they walked out the door that they were off on their way to adventure and danger. But then, she had the advantage of being the girlfriend, sister or close friend of each of the three missing people, though it didn't really feel like an advantage when she was so lonely in their rooms alone.

Still, that edge was more than Minerva McGonagall had. All she knew was that three of her seventh year students, those she had made leaders in her school, were quite suddenly and simply gone. She didn't know what to do, even though she had suspected something like this might happen. Minerva supposed that she should be glad that they had at least left her with one Head Girl, even if she was a year younger than the others.

The students of Hogwarts knew no more than their Headmistress, but that didn't stop them from talking about the disappearance excitedly as soon as they realised that no one had seen the trio since part way through the previous morning. Ginny let out a few sad and mirthless smiles as she listened to some of the rumours that were swirling around. One involved a duel gone awry between Hermione and Harmony in which both Ron and Harry had had to sacrifice themselves to save the women they loved. Harmony, who was still around, obviously had won by hitting Hermione with the killing curse while she cried over the dead bodies of Harry and Ron. Several first years were seen running in terror from the blonde witch. Ginny would have comforted them, but she didn't feel that she could in good conscience tell any sane individual that they had nothing to fear from the girl. At the very least, one might fear that she would turn her furious gossip skills against them.

Another rumour that was circulating was sadly more plausible for all it's ludicrous fact twisting. Ginny had heard three different groups of students telling each other that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had been expelled after a holding a wild orgy in the library's restricted section. Ginny even heard her name mentioned a few times, though strangely more in connection with Hermione's than Harry's…

Many people had approached Ginny about the disappearance of the three that were her fellow Head Students. Every time someone asked where the others had gone, Ginny gave a different answer. She told Susan Bones that the others had been recruited by a popular rock band and were at that moment touring Egypt. When Colin Creevey asked, Ginny told him in all seriousness that they had been arrested for performing illegal experiments involving two pigs and a Slytherin. But Ginny's personal favourite story was the one that she gave Lavender and Parvati.

The two had approached her just after breakfast two days after the trio had left. "So, Ginny, are you happy to have that whole big tower to yourself? Must be nice to be rid of the guys for a while, isn't it?" asked the black-headed Parvati. The girl was clearly digging for information, and Ginny decided to give it to her. Quite suddenly, she burst into tears.

"How could you talk about him?" wailed the redhead. "After he… he…"

"He what?" gasped Lavender as she pulled the other two into an empty classroom.

"He slept with my best friend and got her pregnant!" wailed Ginny.

"Who, Harry?" cried one of Hogwarts' gossip queens.

"Or Ron?" asked the other.

"B-both of them!" sobbed Ginny.

"_What?" _ exclaimed Lavender.

"No one is certain who the father is, but Harry and Ron say that they will both raise the baby as their own. All three of them have moved to Morocco to raise the child together," Ginny had explained, tears streaking her face.

The other two girls had bought the story and spread it, as Ginny had known they would. That one was now among the most popularly accepted explanations for the absence of the school's biggest celebrity and the two who were always at his side.

Ginny was still laughing as she decided to tell Harry that that night via their enchanted mirrors. She crawled into his bed that night, wearing nothing more than the ring he had given her, and activated the spell that would allow her to speak with the love of her life. She held up the small frame and considered enlarging it and tacking it to the roof of the bed…

"Hello?" asked a slightly uncertain voice. Just that one hesitant word was enough for Ginny to realise that it would have been a serious mistake to make the mirror large enough that the person on the other end would have been able to see her in all her nakedness.

"Ron? Where's Harry?" asked Ginny as she quickly pulled her long hair forward to cover the fact that she wore not a stitch.

"He's out by the fire. I just came into the tent to grab something, but this little mirror thing was glowing…" said the redheaded witch's older brother as she wrapped a sheet around herself while trying to make sure that only her head could be seen in the frame.

"Didn't Harry tell you? We figured that we could use these mirror to check up with each other while you lot were travelling," Ginny invented. "I just wanted to talk to you and tell you all that there are some pretty wild rumours going round about you're disappearance."

"Oh yeah?" asked Ron, "Oi! Harry, Hermione, Ginny's on this mirror-thing!"

"What?" asked Hermione sounding perplexed and coming into Ginny's line of sight next to Ron.

"Er," was all Harry said as he joined his friends.

"Ginny said that she and Harry spelled these so Ginny could keep us up to date on things at Hogwarts," Ron explained to Hermione, and Harry shot the mirror a quick grateful look.

"That was a really good idea!" Hermione enthused. "How are things at school?"

"Well, no one really knew for certain that you lot were gone until supper last night," began the redhead, "Then by breakfast this morning, there were rumours galore about where you'd got to and why."

"What sort of rumours?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"Oh, all kinds," Ginny said vaguely with a wicked grin.

"Come on, tell us!" Ron commanded.

"Sorry, it's just one of those things you'll have to figure out for yourselves after you get back. I refuse to be responsible for what Hermione does when she hears them," Ginny said.

"That bad?" asked the other girl with a wince.

"That bad," responded Ginny with a slightly feigned look of sympathy that masked her true amusement. She was rather proud of some of the creative ideas she'd come up with… "But cheer up, Hermione," she continued.

"Why should I?" asked the witch, fishing for some good news.

"Because I need to ask a favour and I figure you're more likely to be helpful if you're in a better mood," Ginny said with a teasing grin.

Hermione muttered angrily, forcing Harry to respond to Ginny in order to stop the older girl from delving into the realm of the truly profane, "Ask away," he said hastily.

"Could you send an owl to McGonagall telling her that you're alright and that you'll be back? Hagrid told me she wants to talk to me tomorrow morning because she thinks I'll be able to tell her something about your whereabouts. It will go so much more smoothly if our dear headmistress already thinks she knows all the things I can tell her," Ginny explained.

"No problem," Hermione responded instantly. She hurried off to write the letter, looking a bit stressed out.

"Ron," Harry began, "You should go check on Hermione. She isn't used to people talking about her, and it can hurt at first." Though it was phrased as a polite request, Ron hopped to it as quickly as though it had been an order. It was funny how willing people were to do the things you asked of them when it was something they wanted an excuse to do anyway…

"Bye," Ginny said to her brother as the redheaded boy handed Harry the mirror hastily.

"Gin, darling, what do you have to do with these rumours?" asked Harry.

"Well, you told me to make sure that no one knew anything for certain. Muddy the waters was the phrase you used," Ginny said with her best innocent smile. Harry didn't fall for it.

"Please tell me that you didn't make up anything too awful," Harry begged.

"Well…" Ginny began.

"Hermione will murder you! Then she'll find out that I put you up to it and she'll murder me!" he moaned.

"Don't worry about it. The worst of the rumours will all be proved false as soon as you three get back," Ginny assured him, wishing that she was really where he was so she could wrap her arms around him and make Harry forget all about what others were saying.

"So that's you're game! You wanted to make sure we were coming back," Harry said with a smile, wishing he were where she was so that he could wrap her in his arms and forget all about what others were saying.

"I think now would be an excellent time to mention that I'm totally naked even as I sit here talking to you," Ginny said with a wicked grin.

"You are?" asked Harry both his interest and something else aroused by that thought.

"Naked entirely except for the ring you gave me," she whispered huskily.

"Wow," Harry said breathily as visions of Ginny danced through his head, her read hair flung wantonly around her, her pale skin exposed to his eyes alone…

"And Harry, I want you here so badly that I can almost feel your hands on me. In fact, I'm running my own hands over my breasts right now. The nipples are both so hard right now, so very hard! Like I'm sure you are. Are you hard, Harry, are you?"

"You bet I am," he muttered, quickly heading to a secluded spot in a thicket of trees by the edge of the river they were following. He had a feeling he wanted to be alone for what Ginny had in mind…

"Tell me what you're doing right now, Harry," Ginny demanded.

"I've, uh, got hold of myself. I'm pretending that it's your hand working up and down along my, uh, length," Harry said, a little embarrassed but knowing that that was a small price to pay.

"That's good, Harry. Now I'm trailing a hand downwards. And I've got a finger inside myself. It feels so good," she moaned, egging him on. "Tell me what I should do next."

"Move your finger in and out. Fast. Faster. FASTER!" Harry panted as he mimicked the actions she was performing thousands of miles away, in his four-poster bed at their school.

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Minerva McGonagall sighed. Something was eating away at the youngest Weasley. The girl seemed downright depressed at times, something that the teacher was nearly positive was linked to the moment that her three roommates had disappeared off on whatever quest it was that they felt meant they could take unsanctioned time off of school for without telling a single living soul.

Except for perhaps Ginny Weasley.

The child seemed to have the unenviable position of being on the peripheral of the trio's tight-knit circle. Originally Minerva had thought that lumping them together this year as head students would help Ginny. She seemed to have very few friends her own age, and for a while, it had seemed as though she was almost a part of the small group that Harry counted as too close to be saved by being pushed away. Apparently her altered status had come from the fact that she was dating Harry at the time, a fact that Minerva hadn't known when she appointed the young girl to her elevated position.

Perhaps the well meaning educator had really only made matters worse by forcing Ginny to work so closely with the others, and yet not quite be part of their group. Maybe Ginny had been deluding herself into thinking that she was truly an excepted member of their group all year, until they left without her. That would make the feeling of abandonment so painfully magnified.

Right then, Minerva resolved to help Ginny any way she could. Starting by talking to her as soon as possible. She regretted not keeping her appointment with the girl earlier that week, but it had seemed pointless after Hermione had sent an owl telling Minerva even more than the three would have confided in their tag along friend. (The teacher had been even more impressed that Hermione had managed to answer most of her questions in a guarded enough way that no one would ever be able to decode a message in the mundane text, nor would they feel inclined to.)

Quickly the Headmistress scribbled a letter asking Ginny to come to see her after supper. Then, feeling much better about the situation with Ginny, if not about that with her three other head students, Minerva went to dinner. The house-elves had prepared her favourites that night, and Minerva immensely enjoyed them all.

That meal, however, wasn't a pleasant one for Ginny. She was feeling rather queasy. Not only was she under a lot of stress as the only head student and a ton of worry over Harry, Ron and Hermione, but now she also had the sheer joy of knowing that Professor McGonagall wanted to see her after supper. She really wasn't enjoying any food that evening…

Ginny pushed aside her plate as soon as McGonagall stood and followed her teacher out of the dining hall. Ginny caught up with her just as the headmistress was about to enter her office. "Wait for me, professor!" she called.

"Miss Weasley, good evening," replied the older witch.

"Good evening, professor," Ginny chorused politely.

"Let's go up to my office to talk," suggested McGonagall even as she stepped onto the spiral staircase that whisked her up towards the circular office that had once belonged to Albus Dumbledore, as well as a great many other important men and women.

"What's this about?" asked Ginny when they were seated on opposite sides of the large desk.

"Well, I've noticed a definite change in you since Potter left," remarked the professor briskly.

"So this is about Harry?" asked Ginny.

"Well, I suppose it is, indirectly," allowed McGonagall, "Bit really this is about you."

"Me?" asked Ginny, a little surprised that her Headmistress was taking personal interest in her even if McGonagall had always been something of a family friend.

"Yes. Ginny, I don't think that it's any secret that I've become rather fond of you and the other young people who have tried to involve themselves in the Order," began the transfigurations professor.

"Even the twins?" asked Ginny with a smile.

"Actually, now that they've left school and are out of my hair, I will admit that Fred and George Weasley are a rather entertaining pair. Quite smart the both of them as well," McGonagall smiled fondly, like an aunt speaking of rather cherished nephews with a tendency to scamper about under foot instead of a former teacher referring to two troublemaking detention lifers. "But the point is that I'm rather fond of the lot of you. And I'm worried about you."

"Why me?" asked Ginny with wide eyes that spoke of an innocence that McGonagall was almost positive that the girl hadn't possessed since before her first year of school. All the same, Ginny would have to be a brilliant actress to pull off that much naivety…

"Because you have seemed rather upset since the other three Head Students took off," said McGonagall bluntly; hoping that Ginny would level with her about what was bothering her.

"Well, that whole big suite is a bit lonely on your own. I was never particularly close with many people my age, either. I've always spent a lot of my time with my brother and his friends," Ginny spoke vaguely, appearing open and honest without really saying much, and that frustrated McGonagall. This girl played her cards so bloody close to the vest, it was hard to tell if there really was nothing amiss, or nothing Ginny felt she could share with a teacher or if the girl was keeping something very big and very important from her.

"Well, maybe I should think about replacing our wayward Head Students," McGonagall sighed, "I really should have picked someone from each house to begin with…"

"Are you doing that because you don't think Harry and the others are coming back or because you think that they should be punished for disappearing?" asked the girl with incredible insight that surprised McGonagall. Everyone seemed to dismiss Ginny as just another Weasley. Sure she was powerful with a few minor curses, but who cares? Her brothers were all the same, and they'd been that way before her. The Headmistress saw a cunning intelligence in those brown eyes, but she also saw deep secrets…

Then Ginny blinked, and McGonagall pulled her attention back to the question the girl had posed. "I don't want to do it at all," she sighed, "And I doubt I will unless they're gone for more than a month. You don't suppose you think they'll be gone that long?"

"Nah," Ginny said, surprising McGonagall, who had expected a short, non-answer, "Hermione's to focused on making sure none of them fail the year to let them stay away that long, no matter what."

"You're probably right," McGonagall agreed with a laugh.


	18. Chapter 18: They're back

**Chapter Eighteen**

**They're Back**

More than a week after everyone had realised that Harry, Hermione and Ron were gone, that news was by no means forgotten. However, due to a lack of new information, few still talked of it over diner, a fact that Ginny was grateful for. It meant that she was left on her own to plot the revenge she planned to exact on Harry for staying away so long. As soon as she was certain he was all right, Ginny would make Harry sorry that he had worried her so badly. The last two days had been particularly bad because Harry had asked Ginny not to try and contact him unless there was some dire emergency. She took that to mean that the three had been very close to their target and needed to concentrate. She just hoped that they wouldn't be gone much longer. There were only so many ways she had to keep her mind off the welfare of the wayfarers, and coming up with imaginative ways to torture Harry could only hold it's appeal so long…

Lost in some delicious thoughts the ways that she had definitely decided to use to make Harry pay, Ginny first noticed the deathly silence that had suddenly descended over the hall. She then looked for the source and her eyes met with an impressive sight. Striding toward her, shaggy black hair streaming, black cloak billowing over black clothing and green eyes flashing over a serious mouth, was Harry Potter. Just a half step behind him and flanking him, Ron and Hermione followed. The pair looked both more relaxed and less sure of themselves than Harry did, but still the tall wizard with the flaming hair and the powerful witch cut striking figures. The three strode directly to the Gryffindor table and sat down in the empty seats across from Ginny. Hermione, seated between the boys, began to serve them all. Ron began to eat and Harry unfurled his napkin and let it settle over his lap.

Then into the complete silence, Harry spoke.

"So, Gin, how was Defence today?"

That one little sentence tore down the wall of absolute shock that had kept the whole population of Hogwarts silent so long. A veritable deluge of discussion broke forth. For a full two minutes the words were not interrupted, the only ones not speaking were the three who had incited the din in the first place. Those three were too busy eating the castle's fine cuisine after too many days of choking back food cobbled together using a campfire and some very inventive spell work.

Finally, McGonagall stood and quieted the school. When everyone had turned to look at her, she snapped, "Potter, Weasley, Granger!"

Harry put down his fork and carefully wiped his fingers on his napkin before standing and turning to face the head table. Ron and Hermione took their cues from him, standing just after Harry did.

"Good evening, Professor," Harry said politely.

McGonagall seemed to be at a loss as for what to do or say after she had barked out the string of names. She wasn't used to this Harry. He spoke too smoothly, acted too deliberately to be a seventeen-year-old boy, plagued with self-doubt, as she knew him to be.

"Before anything else is said, I'd like to apologise on behalf of Ron, Hermione and myself for being so horribly late for dinner. I shall endeavour to insure it does not often happen," Harry said when it became obvious that the Headmistress required a moment to recover. "I had hoped that we might be able to discuss repercussions at a later time…" he prompted.

"You three, my office after dinner!" she barked, struggling to pull herself together. "Miss Weasley had better come, too."

"Excuse me, Professor, but I don't believe it necessary-" began Harry with a bit of a frown.

"But I do think it is. As long as I have my Head Students pinned down for a few minutes, I think that we had better discuss certain responsibilities. My office, as soon as you've eaten." McGonagall finished before leaving the hall.

"As you wish," said Harry with a tight smile before he sat as well. Hermione and Ron remained on their feet looking at him like the rest of the school was for a moment before he looked up at them as if to ask what the wanted of him. They got the message and sat down, and went back to their plates.

Very few people really paid much attention to their food after that. Talk of the impressive show that they had just witnessed seemed to appeal more than dinner. Harry, Hermione and Ron ate steadily until Harry finished and looked up at them. Both immediately dropped their utensils and pushed back their plates. Harry stood, and so did they. Ron and Hermione began to walk out of the hall before they noticed that Harry had stopped. Again in the renewed silence of the dinning hall, Harry addressed Ginny, who had been staring at the trio as they ate, unable to believe that they really were back.

"Coming, Gin?" he asked.

Immediately, looking a little like a lost puppy, Ginny stood and followed Harry out of the Hall. Ron and Hermione brought up the rear as the four picked their way through the gawking students and headed for McGonagall's office.

Through the halls of the school they walked silently until they were just outside the Headmistresses door. Then Harry stopped and leaned against the wall. Then Ginny noticed that he was trembling a little. Hermione squeezed his hand and Ron patted him on the back. "Good job, mate," said the latter.

"Let's not start congratulating ourselves yet. We still have another ordeal to go through." With that, he shook himself and faced the gargoyle. He uttered the password, and then led his friends up to the room where Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry awaited them.

They came to sit opposite her desk, and she settled across from them. She didn't speak right away, and Harry seemed to have determined not to prompt her this time as he had in the Great Hall. Finally, she seemed to come to herself.

"_Where on earth have you been?_" she hissed.

"On a quest to thwart Voldemort," replied Harry unhelpfully.

"What made you think that you could just up and leave?" she asked incredulously.

"Really, it was mostly the fact that if we had asked, then you would have probably have kept us under lock and key," Harry said reasonably. He had adopted a mild manner of speaking that no one could fault, yet was none the less was distinctly unproductive.

The very non-answers that were annoying her to no end were what made McGonagall stop and think. "It was completely necessary?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Harry, "And rather productive as well."

"I see," said Minerva, finally seeing that she would have to work with Harry or against him, but he would be in control either way. He reminded her of Dumbledore in that way, though it was really a trait that both great good wizards shared with their dark counterpart as well. "Don't make a habit of it."

"I'll try not to," said Harry, not even making that promise.

"Well," sighed the professor, "Since you are all here, I want you to start the supplementary Defence classes we've talked about. Run them like you ran the DA. You all did well with that. You can recruit the best for the reformed DA or the Jr Order of the Phoenix or whatever you'd like to call it. Just start training the students very soon."

"As you wish," said Harry for the second time that evening, and a lot less sarcastically.


	19. Chapter 19: Lovers Reunited

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Lovers Reunited**

When Hogwarts' four Head Students returned to their rooms, they stood silently for many long moments. No one could believe that they were actually back, particularly Ginny, who had been wishing for their return from the minute the others had left and for the whole week they had been away trying to put a stop to the most evil enemy that the Wizarding world had. The four just stood, unbelieving, feeling almost as if they were caught in some sort of frozen time between being gone and being back again. Harry broke the odd tension in the air by falling into a chair and sighing heavily. That seemed to release Ron and Hermione from the strange lethargic paralysis that had taken over, though Ginny's mind still seemed caught in a dizzying fog of questions. Could they really be back? Is Harry sitting right there really? What happened to them? Why did he act so strangely before? Are they all right? _Are they really back?_

Harry broke through the whirling thoughts, simply by reaching out and touching Ginny's hand, in a light, friendly manner that wouldn't arouse Ron and Hermione's suspicions. "How have you been?" he asked gently as Ron and Hermione looked on. The pair was leaning heavily on each other as Hermione shot a longing look in the direction of their bedrooms. Their trip had been long and exhaustive, for all it had been worth it.

Ginny looked down at her hand where Harry had touched it. They were back, for true and certain.

"Oh, I've missed you!" she cried, meaning mostly Harry, but turning to encompass the other two in her words. Then she hugged Ron and Hermione to her briefly before bending down to hug Harry. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

"You're crying!" exclaimed Harry, wanting to pull her closer and comfort her, but not sure if he should with the others looking on. Ginny settled the question for him by sitting down in his lap and burying her face in his chest. Harry at least sent Hermione a pleading look that he utterly fabricated before wrapping Ginny in his arms. Hermione shrugged, and she and Ron just stood and leaned against each other while Ginny's sobs slowed down.

"Sorry, Harry," she said, sitting up a little and wiping her cheeks off.

"Er, that's okay," said he, uncomfortably aware that they were in one of the many grey areas that made pretending not to be totally in love with Ginny so hard.

"Well, I'm rather tired…" Hermione said, faking a yawn and looking pointedly at Ron.

"Wha- oh, me too," he said, "I'm done in, myself. I think that we should go right to bed."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Hermione said quickly. She did have the decency to pause a moment and look back over her shoulder at Harry and the witch that was slipping off his lap for the time being. "Harry, you don't mind explaining everything to Ginny, do you?"

"Everything?" he asked with one eyebrow creeping up a little.

"Er, perhaps not _every_thing. Maybe just _most _things," she said before allowing Ron to tug her the rest of the way up the stairs with the hastiest of muttered 'goodnights'.

"When did that happen?" asked Ginny after Hermione's bedroom door had shut behind both the witch and the wizard.

"I think about the second night out there," Harry said. "At least, we all slept in the same tent the first night, but the second, I slept out by the fire, so I don't know if, uh, _it_ happened the second night, or maybe later…" Harry trailed off with a slight blush, sounding more like himself than he had in the Great Hall or in McGonagall's office.

"Why did you sleep outside?" asked Ginny, not liking the idea of her love laying on the hard ground completely unprotected for so many cold nights.

"Well, Ron and Hermione bickered for hours the first night, and the whole day after they acted strange, so I though being trapped in a small space with them might not be such a great idea. The weather was nice enough the second and third nights, but the fourth it rained. I wasn't very happy about that because the day before I'd caught the pair kissing and Hermione's shirt was undone and Ron looked a real mess too," Harry went on, shuddering. "So then sleeping in their tent struck me as a really, really bad idea so I just conjured a new one. When Ron asked why, I nearly died. Then Hermione decided that I had to be having nightmares again, and I overheard her tell Ron that he should just let me alone about most things and that they should do exactly as I told them to. That worked out rather well, as it turned out."

"Why?" asked Ginny, feeling as though she had missed whole years of the others' lives.

"Well, when we finally reached Slytherin's shrine, we found this inscription. It said a lot of really odd things, and the way it read, it seemed to say that only one person could go in at a time. Hermione thought there was a chance that it didn't mean that or that it was part of the shrine only and had nothing to do with the Horcrux. Ron thought that we should just ignore it and go in together. Because they had decided to listen to my orders, I went in alone," Harry said, pausing to settle Ginny more comfortably on top of him. She had sat down again almost the moment Ron and Hermione were out of sight and they had been holding each other close as they talked.

"You going in alone doesn't sound like a good thing to me," Ginny said with a frown.

"Well, it was. If they had come with me, I wouldn't have even been able to see the Horcruxes let alone gotten to them," Harry told her with a smile.

"Wait, Horcrux_es_?" she asked, "As in there were more than the shrine?"

"Well, one inside and another that we got from a Death Eater who showed up at the shrine. He's another good reason why Ron and Hermione are better off following my orders. If they hadn't been outside, they couldn't have captured him and took his Horcrux," Harry pointed out.

"Well, near as we can tell, Voldemort sent him on a mission to gather all the Horcruxes and move them to better locations. More secure, if you can believe it. Of course, the idiot didn't know what he was handling. Actually, we're incredibly lucky that we caught this guy. He gave us some new information. We don't think that Nagini is a Horcrux anymore. The Death Eater had transported another object to another location before coming to get the one hidden at the shrine. The only thing is, we're not entirely sure what this new Horcrux is. The Death Eater referred to it as the 'bone'. He didn't know what it is, of course," Harry said, "But he told us where it is, sort of. Ron was all for going after the Horcrux right away, but Hermione and I voted him down. We don't know the exact location, only a description of it and our supplies were running low. Actually, they were beyond low. We ran out entirely yesterday, so breakfast was some very bad, poorly conjured lumpy porridge-like substance. None of us had the heart to attempt lunch," Harry said with a crooked smile.

"Poor baby," Ginny murmured, kissing Harry's cheek, "I hope you ate enough at supper."

"Honestly, I kind of forgot about being hungry the second I saw you. I've been waiting to get you alone since before we even got back," Harry admitted.

"And the first thing you do when you finally do is sit down and talk for hours," sighed Ginny, "You have got to sort out your priorities!"

"Oh?" asked Harry, standing up with Ginny in his arms, grinning suggestively "What would you have had me do first?"

"Well, nothing that can be done out here in the open," Ginny replied.

"Don't you mean nothing that _should_ be done out here in the open? Because what I have in mind _can _be done pretty much anywhere, there are just a few places that it isn't a great idea to attempt it," Harry said even as he walked up the stairs, still carrying Ginny.

"Like out here in the open, where my brother could find us for example," suggested Ginny, sliding out of Harry's arms to open the bedroom door for him.

"That's one place. In a shark tank is another one that comes to mind…" Harry offered as he leaned in to kiss Ginny lightly.

"Can we stop concentrating on where not to do it and start thinking about where to do it?" asked Ginny with a grin.

"Sounds good to me. Do you have anywhere in mind?" asked Harry, nibbling at Ginny's neck.

"Yes. The shower! You smell like you've been in the woods for a week without bathing!" Ginny said with a giggle as she ducked around Harry and headed towards their shower…

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"Hermione?" Ron asked the naked witch in his bed tentatively.

"What is it?" she asked sleepily, reaching back over her shoulder to catch his hand, spanning the narrow gap between them. It seemed odd to both to be sharing the large bed when their only experience actually sleeping together was in a small tent, in separate sleeping bags. Hermione had also had to exercise a lot of will power not to scoop up her shirt earlier, because, though they had slept together before, she was still a little self-conscious.

"Are you my girlfriend?" asked the gangly redhead, holding tight to Hermione's hand.

"Isn't that the sort of question you should have asked me a long time ago?" asked Hermione, turning to face him with an amused smile.

"Be serious," he begged.

"Ron, do you want me to be your girlfriend?" Hermione asked candidly.

"Well, yes," Ron said, then he begin to stutter a little, worrying that she might not feel the same way, "I mean, if you want to… I mean… well I mean," Ron took a deep breath, "I mean yes. I want you to be my girlfriend."

"Well, then I am," she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek, their hands still clasped.

"It's that easy?" asked Ron in wonder.

"Yep. But just remember, it's only so simple because I want it to," Hermione told him, forgetting her earlier unease with her nudity and snuggling close to him. They spent the rest of the night like that, locked together, limbs tangled and hands entwined.

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"Harry, do you have the Horcruxes still?" asked Ginny after they had showered together and had lain down in their bed.

"Yes," Harry said simply, not sure why Ginny would want to know.

"Can I see them?" she asked.

"Why?" he countered, though he did sit up and throw back the covers so he could go fetch them for her.

"I want to prove to myself that you're beating him, if slowly. I want to see the evidence that I suffered through this last week without you for a reason," Ginny said, her eyes shinning a little, as though the tears she had shed earlier in Harry's arms hadn't entirely drained her.

"Alright," Harry said soothingly, just before he dropped to items on her lap. The first was a cup, ornate, but the metal was dull, even against the dark red comforter. The second was a tiara that sparkled with sapphires and white gold. Ginny picked them up, one after another.

"Wow," she said.

"Are you impressed?" asked Harry, a little surprised. He hadn't seen the trinkets as worth much when set against the lives their creator had taken to make them…

"Only by the fact that they're so unimpressive," Ginny said, studying the tiara closely as she had the cup before it.

"Hmm. I thought a girl might appreciate them more," Harry said.

"Oh, I do think that they're quite pretty, but not worth the murders they caused, the lives the ruined by saving Voldemort," Ginny echoed Harry's thoughts with surprising accuracy.

"How good are you at Legilimency?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"Well, Hermione was teaching me a little bit out of that book you gave her, but I'm not very good. Why?" she asked in surprise.

"Because you just said almost precisely what I thought when I saw the damn things. They're not worth the deaths that Voldemort used to gain them, for all that they are important parts of Hogwarts history," Harry said.

"How are they part of Hogwarts history?" asked Ginny.

"The cup belonged to Hufflepuff, and the crown to Ravenclaw. But I can't decide if that's counteracts the fact that Voldemort used them for his own dark purpose or not. Mostly I just want to get rid of the blasted things and concentrate on the finial pieces of his soul," Harry said, his mouth a grim line.

Ginny's finger traced the crack that ran up and down the side of the cup and lightly touched the biggest sapphire on the crown. That jewel was dark and cloudy in a way that seemed to stem from the evil that had been stored within it. The objects seemed somehow tainted…

Suddenly Ginny couldn't stand the thought of touching the vassals that had held the dark slivers of the evil wizard's soul. She wanted to fling the things far from her and gather those she loved close so that the darkness that had once been there could not touch them. With frantic movements, Ginny settled for dumping her necklaces and other jewellery from a small locking box and tossing the former Horcruxes inside. Then she dashed from Harry's room and into hers and tossed the box under her bed. When she turned to go back to Harry, she saw him lounging in the connecting doorway, wearing as much clothing as she was.

Which was to say that they were both entirely nude, though Ginny did wear the ring Harry had given her on its chain.

"Come to bed, they can't get you while you're in my bed," Harry said, teasing only a little bit. He too felt that the further away such tainted objects were, the better.

"Are you sure that you're not just trying to get me to shag you?" asked Ginny mock suspiciously.

"Well, any other night, that might not be an unfounded accusation, but tonight, I'm exhausted. I assure, you're virtue is safe," Harry said with a weary smile, "Tonight, I just want to hold you."

To give Harry credit where he was due it, he had truly meant that he was far to tired to do more than curl up and fall asleep.

He hadn't, however, counted on the nightmares.

_Harry looked around in the dark void in which he found himself. There was nothing else, not even a speck of light, only him. Then, suddenly, there were different scenes of absolute horror flashing before his eyes. Green light, his parent's dying words…_

_More green lights and an evil cackle…_

_The sound of burning flesh and the image of his first Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher cringing from him…_

_The snake, Tom Riddle and Ginny's death-pale face…_

_Another, smaller snake, and lots of blood, and that same red hair, this time on a man…_

_Death Eaters in masks…So many Death Eaters, marching, chanting, jeering and firing curses…_

_Green light, more and more of it…_

_Dead bodies, some faces recognisable to Harry: his parents, Cedric, Sirius and still others…_

_Then the faces of the people he didn't know, but whom he could tell with a sickening feeling had died to try and stop Voldemort…_

_Dumbledore…_

_And then, worst of all, those who he had thought weren't dead…_

_The Weasley parents, their oldest children, then Hermione and Ron… _

_And then Ginny. _

_Her beautiful face contorted in pain, her brown eyes welling with tears, and then, the life fading from her…_

Harry woke gasping and fighting a scream. Ginny sat up with him, and he turned to her in desperation. He pulled her to him, tears running down his cheeks, flavouring her skin with salt beneath his rough kisses…

Almost before Ginny knew what was happening, he was pounding inside her, rougher than he had ever been. In three crashing, bruising strokes, he was finished, but Harry didn't pull out of her. He just pulled her tighter to him, and spilled his dream in whispers against her warm breast.

Ginny held him close, stroking his hair, and her tears mixed with his. Harry did so much to help the world, but he couldn't keep his nightmares at bay all by himself.

That was why he had her.


	20. Chapter 20: Take the Lead

**Chapter Twenty**

**Take the Lead**

In all Harry's overwhelming joy at being back with Ginny in the castle that he had long considered home, he forgot temporarily the one troubling aspect of his school life. He knew that he should be unbearably happy that he hadn't a single teacher who hated him for no good reason, or a nasty one-time Quidditch rival plotting to kill anyone, or even a larger than usual number of evil psychos trying to do him in. Still, petty though it was, Harry's happiness was ruined by one very blonde, determined sixth year girl with the ironic name of Harmony.

"That girl will be the death of me!" he moaned two nights after his return.

"Voldemort will be pleased to hear that," commented Ginny from the armchair she was studying in, "Harmony will save him loads of trouble. The rest of the world might be a little put out, though."

"I can see the headlines now. '_Wizarding World Doomed by fifteen-year-old Girl: Voldemort Pleased to Hear of the Chosen One's Demise', _"snorted Hermione.

"Aren't you going to take a shot at me as well?" Harry asked Ron when the redhead alone remained silent.

"Nope," said Harry's best friend, "Unlike these females, I'm loyal enough to miss you when you're dead."

"Thanks," Harry said dryly, sighing a tad dramatically as the depressing insinuation that he would be largely forgotten the moment he was gone. That was not a pleasant thing for anyone to think, but particularly not for a person as likely to come to an early end as Harry was. "Won't anyone else miss me at least a little?" Harry whined, "Hermione?"

"Sorry, Harry. I'm afraid I might have to much occupying my mind as it is right now to worry about mourning a boy who let a little girl's crush kill him. Ron keeps me rather busy," Hermione replied teasingly.

Harry promptly turned away from Hermione and the suggestive wink she had levelled at the blushing Ron. Harry's eyes fell on the only other occupant of the room. "Ginny!" he cried, "You'll miss me, right?"

"I don't know… I'm awfully busy myself," she said in a weak attempt to play along. She knew Harry was only trying to amuse himself and them, but she still wished he wouldn't joke about death.

"Maybe you should beg her, mate. She is your only hope after all," Ron advised, watching with laughing eyes as Harry nodded, took a deep, fortifying breath and flung himself at Ginny's feet.

"Ginny, my darling, my pet, my sweet? Could you find it within the gentle, kind and wonderful heart that beats within your lovely self to miss me if I die? Could you bring yourself to lay flowers on my grave and speak kindly of me?" Harry begged dramatically.

"I don't know. How nice do the things you want me to say have to be?" she asked, getting a little more in the spirit of things. It was impossible to think of Harry dying while he had his arms wrapped around her knees and was looking up beseechingly at her with those green eyes so full of fun and life. Rarely did Harry loosen up long enough to joke, so Ginny didn't have the heart to squash the moment by asking him to talk about a happier subject.

"Oh, nothing to extravagant. Just tell everyone that I was the most wonderful person you ever met. Tell them about the kittens I rescued and the goals I scored and the people I loved. Tell them that me favourite colour was red and that I never did get around to writing the epic novel I had hoped to pen about the adventures of a flower named Samuel," Harry advised.

"Alright, I'll tell them all that if I'm allowed to tell them about our wild and passionate secret love affair. I want them all to know that I'm a grieving widow, and I want them all to know that the reason that I didn't date any of the people they tried to set me up with wasn't because I was a lesbian or unhappy or anything," Ginny returned.

"What?" cried Ron, not sure if she was still joking and suddenly a little uncomfortable to see Harry hugging any part of his baby sister as closely as his best mate was hugging her knees.

"Okay, you have a deal. But are people really trying to set you up?" asked Harry, a little curious and a little upset as he let go of Ginny and leaned back on his elbows to see her better.

"No, not yet. But I figure you probably won't die for years and years and if our passionate love affair remains secret, then people will start to wonder why I stopped dating while still in school. And my parents will want to see me settled and married, so they'll try and set me up with nice young men, but I won't be able to date them because I'm with you. So they'll begin to wonder about me, until of course, your funeral when the whole sordid mess will come out," explained Ginny. "If you go along with it, I'll tell everyone that you were an excellent lover."

"I don't see what good that will do me once I'm dead," Harry pointed out. "I don't suppose you could tell everyone that now…"

"Well, I would, but then our whole secret wild, passionate, etc love affair would come out too soon, and completely ruin the eulogy I plan to give at your funeral," Ginny said reasonably as Hermione smiled and Ron tried to catch the rest of the way up with the conversation.

"Scratch that then," Harry agreed reluctantly. "Maybe you could just convince Harmony to leave me alone and then we can have years and years to worry about the details that your going to let slip at the funeral."

"Sounds good. Shake on it?" asked Ginny, offering Harry her hand, which he took and shook lightly.

"Wait, what if one of us gets married before you die?" asked Ginny suddenly.

"Well, I think you'll have to go through with it anyway. A handshake is a binding contract after all," Harry said.

"Okay, but how will I explain it to my husband?" asked Ginny.

"What husband?" asked Ron, who thought that he might be up to speed now.

"My hypothetical future one who is devastatingly handsome, caring and a fabulous cook who happens to enjoy cleaning the house in his spare time. Oh, and he's rich, and his name is Keith," Ginny said with a serious face.

"I meant, how can you have a husband if you didn't date and therefore caused your family to wonder about you?" Ron explained.

"Oh," Ginny said, blinking. "I'm beginning to think that the fun of revealing a secret affair at the funeral of the man you had the affair with is going to really be rather inconvenient to my later life."

"Too bad you already shook on it," Harry said wickedly.

"Oh well," Ginny sighed. "Maybe I'll convince you that a real secret affair is the only way to make it up to me for ruining my hypothetical marriage to hypothetical Keith. At least then I'll have _some _fun."

"Sounds fair," Harry said with a grin, putting Ron back in the uncomfortable area of wondering what was going on between Harry and Ginny.

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Harry looked out at his schoolmates. There were roughly one thousand most years, though this year there were considerably fewer. Harry thought he might of heard McGonagall mention the number eight hundred. That meant that they had lost probably two hundred students since happier times. Some parents were nervous about having their families separated, some were Death Eaters who wanted their children far from everything associated with Dumbledore and the side of light. Some students had died.

Still, eight hundred remained, and Harry had been given the task of teaching those who still attended to defend themselves against the evils of their world.

Well, Harry and a few others had been given the task.

Harry looked at Ron, Hermione and Ginny standing beside him. For now, he planned to run the class roughly as he had the DA, by relying on those three to help him where they could and by addressing the group as a whole before working with specific people. Over the next two weeks he would hand pick the best and the brightest so he could teach them separately, then allow them to help with the bigger group. He had formulated the plan over the last five days with Ron, Hermione and Ginny and they had presented it briefly to McGonagall and the defence teacher, Professor Brookes.

At first Hermione had worried that Professor Brookes would be upset that they had been asked to basically do her job for her, but it turned out that she fully supported the idea. She had told them out right that her specialty was dark creatures and that she had only a limited knowledge of hexes and such, all of which she had gained from books, not personal experience as they had. She knew that having the students learn defence was more important than who their teacher happened to be, though she was a bit worried about the how against the rules their plans were.

"Alright, listen up!" Harry shouted. "My name's Harry and for the rest of the year, I will teach anyone willing to learn to defend themselves from Voldemort, with the help of my lovely assistants, Hermione and Ginny. Oh, and the less-lovely Ron."

Everyone laughed a little as Harry had intended. After a second, he called for quiet again. "We will start with the most basic of the basics. Look up here to see Hermione and Ron demonstrate the disarming charm. _Pay attention_! When they're done, I will be picking at random four people to come up here and try the spell out on me and the rest of the gang," Harry said with a nod to Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

Despite the warning, there was a lot of talking by older students who thought the spell was beneath their skill level. Ron and Hermione slowly went over the spell several times before Harry nodded to the pair and Ginny. Taking that to be their signal, all three pointed their wands at random students and pulled them up to the stage that had been put up in the centre of the Great Hall. Ron had selected a third year boy, Hermione a seventh year Hufflepuff girl, Ginny had Seamus Finnegan and Harry a small first year Ravenclaw who had been paying rapt attention to the whole demonstration.

"Alright. Now, our four volunteers, all you have to do is properly disarm my friends and me. We will do no more to resist than hang on to our wands. _Go_!" he called out.

And they began. Or at least Harry was fairly certain they started, though it was a little hard to tell since only Seamus, a former DA member, produced immediate results. Had she not been under express orders to do nothing to prevent him from achieving his goal, Seamus would certainly have had more trouble besting Ginny. After a few minutes more struggle, Harry felt a bit of a tug on his wand. The little Ravenclaw was trying so hard that he decided to loosen his grip enough to let her get the wand. Harry then smiled in congratulations at her.

"Alright, enough!" Harry finally called out. "You two have had plenty of opportunity to get their wands. Voldemort would not give you that much time to try it. When you duel with him and his Death Eaters, you must be able to work quickly in you want any chance of success."

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Later that week, Harry sat with his fellow Defence leaders trying to make the finial decisions regarding the reformed DA list. Some choices had come easily, but others were proving difficult. For example, Luna and Neville had been let in without the slightest question, but no one could quite decide whether or not to invite Creevey brothers to be a part of the group. Even tougher a choice than that, Harmony had displayed quite a lot of talent, much to the annoyance of Harry. Hermione thought that they had no right to exclude her based on the fact that she bugged Harry, but Harry thought that there were a lot of others with nearly as much talent as she had that were much more trust worthy. He thought that they deserved places in the group before Harmony.

"Let's go over the people we've already chosen for certain to find out just how many places we still have," Ginny suggested when Hermione and Harry showed no signs of ending their battle any time soon.

"Alright," Hermione agreed, pulling her list out again. "Neville, Luna, Seamus, Dean, Susan Bones, Lavender, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, and the Patil twins. That's everyone we're certain of. Whom can't we agree about?"

"Well, there's that fourth year Hufflepuff bloke. Nathan something," Ron said, "He's done really well, and he seems like an okay guy."

"Yeah, I think he'll be a big help, even if he's a little young. I've seen him working with some of the younger students already," Harry agreed.

"Let's add him them," Hermione said, looking around to ascertain that there were no objections.

"His last name is Jackson," Ginny offered and Hermione wrote him on her list of those to whom they planned to extend an invitation.

"All right, what about the Creeveys?" asked Hermione with a sigh. They all really liked the brothers, but none were quite certain if they were really talented enough to be included. They wanted to keep the group small so that they could teach more personally, but it was hard to know where to draw the line. Both Colin and Dennis had been loyal members of the first DA, which recommended them to be part of the second, but they weren't a pair that would command even grudging respect from anyone they were assigned to teach.

"I think we have to ask them," Ginny said. "If only because there are so few younger students. They both work hard, even if sometimes they're not quite up to snuff."

"I agree with Ginny," Harry said.

"Alright," Hermione said, though she was suspicious that Harry might be trying to fill out the group so that he could claim there wasn't room for certain people, like Harmony.

"Works for me," Ron said agreeably. There were very few people that he most certainly didn't want to be in the group, and most of them had already been eliminated. Sure the Creeveys were a bit eager to please, but was that a bad thing when compared with certain people who just wanted to date Ginny or Hermione, like a few of the blokes from the last DA had.

"Which leaves us with," Hermione began with a grim face.

"Harmony," they chorused dully.

"I don't want her in the group." Harry stated plainly, and Ginny agreed with him, though she didn't say so aloud. To a certain point it was funny to think of the blonde girl hitting on her shy boyfriend, but Ginny did not want to watch it happen or to make it easier on her year mate.

"But, Harry, she shows an aptitude for it!" wailed Hermione for nearly the fiftieth time since they had began organizing the group.

On the argument went in circles for nearly another hour. Ron and Ginny stayed firmly out of it, though secretly both took Harry's side. Neither like Harmony and both understood completely with the boy wanted her kept out, but Ron wanted to stay on Hermione's good side and Ginny didn't want Hermione to think she was jealous of the blonde witch. Finally Harry had enough. He just stood up stubbornly and laid his trump card.

"I refuse to be forced to spend time with that girl. If she's in, I'm out," he said stubbornly.

Hermione actually hissed in frustration, and stomped her feet. "You're impossible!"

"Well, that's why I'm in charge. If you're an impossible follower, those in charge get rid of you, but if you're in charge, then it doesn't matter how horribly you act so long as you're better than the alternative," Harry said with a grin that ticked Hermione off and turned Ginny on.

"That's a horrible attitude," Ron pointed out, partially because he vaguely felt it was his duty to stand up for his girlfriend when she looked mad enough to slug someone and partially because he vaguely felt it was his duty to stand up for his best friend when someone was about to slug him.

"Yes, well that's why I'm in charge. If you're a follower with a horrible attitude, then-"

"Enough!" commanded Ginny, though she wanted to laugh at Harry's joking statements. "We run things semi-democratically around here. Besides, even if we didn't, Harry wouldn't be in charge."

"Oh?" asked Harry, though he would probably have instantly relinquished control had he felt it was fair to subject someone else to the troubles that went along with it.

"Nope! Hermione and I would be," Ginny said with a grin.

"How do you figure?" asked Ron, who felt a little left out because no one had mentioned him possibly being in charge.

"Well, Hermione can easily control you, and I happen to know something about Hermione that she has begged me never to tell to a living soul, so I control her. Therefore, we have three of the four votes, which means we win!" Ginny said, before abruptly changing the subject. "I'm going to go take this list up to McGonagall and then send the invitations to everyone."

And she did.

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The next day at breakfast, Harry felt many eyes on him. As he casually glanced up, he saw everyone who had been invited to join the DA looking at him. Casually catching a few eyes, he shook his head a little. Why broadcast his choice in elite students? Feeling that he could only hope that the others would be quiet and inconspicuous so long, Harry ate quickly. Once he was finished he pressed down on Ron, Hermione and Ginny's feet and tipped his head in the direction of the door. They dropped their forks and got up, because Harry's orders, even the silent ones, had become law to the three of them, beyond anything else.

As he was leaving, Harry looked around the Hall again, catching a few of the same eyes and a few different ones. He hoped that the others would have the good sense to wait awhile before leaving. Harry was pleased to see that only Nathan Jackson, the only invitee that had never been a DA member before followed immediately. In the Entrance Hall, Harry turned to lean against a wall and promptly engaged Ron in a conversation about Quidditch. Hermione and Ginny both pulled books out of their bags and sat down to read them.

The blonde fourth year boy, Nathan, looked as though he wanted to approach them straight away, but Harry shot him a look that said firmly to stay put. The boy did as he was ordered, but he stood across the Hall, looking back at Harry and his friends far too often. That went on until the Creeveys left the Great Hall together and went to stand with the slightly younger boy after Harry casually looked from them to Nathan once or twice. Next to appear was a group of Ravenclaw girls exited from breakfast, Padma Patil making the excuse that her bag had just spilled to tarry behind. Then a group of Gryffindors came out, and Parvati, Lavender, Dean, and Seamus stopped to help Parvati's twin. By the time Neville and Luna strolled out, that group had cleaned up and were standing talking, and the pair joined them. Then, when Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernie Macmillan came out, everyone had arrived. Harry looked about briefly and saw that there were too many uninvited people about for him to address everyone at once, so he strolled towards Neville and Luna and said hi briefly before sending them to see Ron for further information.

Harry went to talk to his fellow Gryffindor seventh years and Ginny went to talk to the Creeveys and Nathan Jackson. Hermione talked to the three from Hufflepuff who had been the last to join them. After a few brief minutes, the four leaders left to get their things from their dorm, and the others slowly trickled away. Once in the privacy of their common room, Harry turned to Ron, Hermione and Ginny. "How did we make out? Anyone refuse?" he asked.

The other three shook their heads no, and he sighed in relief. "Good, it will be hard enough to replace the Patils. Their parents are worried and the girls don't think they'll be allowed to come back after Christmas holidays. They think that it would be better to let some one else take their places right from the start instead of making us replace them after they had already begun training. I have to say, I agreed with them."

"Stupid parents!" Ron grunted. "The safest place for anyone to be is in this school, training to cope with evil, not cowering at home and hoping it will leave you alone."

"You can't blame the parents for being idiots who don't know any better," Hermione said.

"Maybe we should do something about the fact that they don't know any better," suggested Ginny. "Maybe we could quietly make sure that the others tell their mums and dads that Hogwarts is teaching them to protect themselves. That Harry Potter is teaching them."

"Yeah, get the message out that they're being prepared to face all evil while within these walls," Ron agreed.

"I don't know. We don't want the Death Eaters or Voldemort finding out if at all possible. That just seems to be inviting trouble," Hermione said hesitantly.

"What do you think, Harry?" asked Ginny because he was the only one who hadn't weighed in on the matter.

"I say no, or at least, not right now. Hermione's right, it's just inviting trouble, especially because we don't know how successful this is going to be or who would object to what we're doing. As it is, we're pretty much left to our own devices. We can't afford to have that change, especially not when we're so close to ending it all," Harry said, resting serious green eyes on each of his closest friends in turn and then on the girl he loved. "Now, who are we going to replace the twins with?"


	21. Chapter 21: Worries and Promises

**A/N: Everything up to this point has been updated, which means that very soon there will be new reading material for all!**

**Chapter Twenty-one**

**Worries and Promises**

Ginny looked at Harry's sleeping form and sighed. Over the last weeks since he had returned from destroying two of Voldemort's Horcruxes, they had enjoyed a very active sex life. They had had quickies in broom closets between classes, wild sex against walls and desks in abandoned classrooms late at night when they were supposed to be patrolling, and done it far more times in the restricted section of the library than Ginny cared to admit. And at night, they had made love slowly and sweetly for hours. Ginny found it remarkable that she slept with Harry so often and in such open places, yet no one even knew she was dating anyone. That part was almost laughable.

Ginny sighed again. It wasn't that she objected to sleeping with her boyfriend at every possible opportunity, but she had to wonder sometimes if she wasn't being a little careless for a stupid reason. She wondered if she were trying to convince Harry to stay with sex. What had ever happened to her carefully plotted out revenge for how long he had stayed away? It scared her how easily her plans melted away the instant he came back.

But what scared her more was that Harry was already talking about leaving again. If he left now, then he thought he might be back in time for the Christmas holidays. Well, what Ginny wanted to know was why he couldn't leave after them? Honestly, she would have thought that Ron and Hermione would want as much time to spend peacefully together before tackling the Voldemort problem again, but the both of them were enthusiastically talking to Harry about their mission and making plans. Ginny had sat miserably listening to the three go on and on about having to be more careful getting out of the school than last time, and occasionally remarking how nice it was to have Ginny to take over the DA while they were gone.

When Ginny had had enough of being more talked about and around than to, she had gone up to bed. Harry had soon followed, and they had ended up making passionate love again as they had every night since his return. Then Harry had started talking about his plans again, and Ginny had listened until he fell asleep, and she had asked herself some questions.

The most burning one of all: Was she going to let Harry go again without making clear that she was upset?

Her conclusion: Not on her life, or anyone else's.

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The very next morning, Ginny put her plan into action.

She awoke with one of Harry's arms draped across her breasts and one of his legs thrust between hers. Something else of his was 'thrust' against her back as well. Ginny grinned as the fog of sleep left her mind. She rubbed her hand along Harry's length to wake him up a little, and then, before he was entirely aware of his surroundings, she grabbed his hand and dragged it to the curls at the apex of her thighs. With only a little more encouragement to his sleep-dazed self, Harry brought Ginny to an orgasmic high. Then, panting a little, Ginny had lightly kissed his cheek and leapt spryly from the bed. "We're going to be late, dear," she commented, dashing for the shower.

"I'll get you later!" Harry laughingly promised her as she slipped from sight, leaving him to deal with his own 'problem'.

Ginny took every chance she could that day to brush up against Harry or even just to bend down a little so he got a good view of either her butt or her cleavage. She went to meet him between second and third classes, but she arrived late, so they only had time for a few kisses that more stirred Harry's longing than decreased it. She teased and taunted him shamelessly, and he came into his room rather earlier than usual that night. She had to stifle a laugh at the look on his face when he saw her packing a few things in a small bag.

"Where on earth are you going?" he asked in mild shock.

"To spend the night in my own room with Hermione, remember? I'm sure I mentioned that she and I had decided to have sort of a girl's night. Luna was supposed to come, but she told Hermione today something about being afraid that some sort of spirit possessed my room because her tea leaves told her so or something of the like," Ginny said as she moved the rest of the things that she could conceivably need into her room so she wouldn't have to face any awkward explanations regarding why her makeup was all in Harry's room or something.

"Right, I forgot you were abandoning me," Harry said, looking rather dejected. "I'll miss you terribly."

"I'll be in the next room!" giggled Ginny, gleeful that her plot was working out so well so quickly.

"Ah, but you won't be in my arms," he sighed.

"Well, think of it as practice for when you and Ron and Hermione are gone. We'll be separated by a lot more than a hidden door," Ginny pointed out, kissing Harry's cheek lightly.

"Come back here, love," Harry said, pulling Ginny to him for a searing kiss. After a moment, Ginny pulled away.

"Sorry, but Hermione will be here any minute and I don't want to have to explain what I was doing in your room. Besides, I have to go make my room look reasonably lived in," joked Ginny as she left.

It seemed sort of odd to refer to the room she had probably spent an entire total of three hours in since the beginning of school as hers. Harry's room was her room, even if she couldn't say so aloud to anyone. She too would miss him tonight, but she planned to make him realise that he had begun to take her a bit for granted. She couldn't always be at his beck and call; she couldn't be expected to let him merrily skip off to get himself killed without a peep.

Ginny sighed, something she had been doing a lot of recently. She was glad of this night to spend with Hermione, regardless of its connivance to her plan, because she needed a little time spent with someone who wasn't Harry. She loved him, but sometimes she felt that there were two separate personalities at war with in him. There was the serious demeanour that always felt like his leader's mask, and then there was the boy who laughed and teased her and made love to her. It was sometimes hard to pick out whom she was with at any given moment, even at night, in bed. Sometimes he slept the peaceful sleep of a lover well satisfied and carefree, but other times, he dreamed of terrible things that Ginny couldn't even fathom. On the latter occasion, she held him close and felt a little like she was comforting a small child.

Often it seemed to her that the Boy Who Lived was like a small child masquerading as a seventeen-year-old version of himself, always flailing for control and trying to come to terms with his supposed destiny while he was still balking it. Other times it seemed that the Boy Who Lived was the in control general of the side of good. He wasn't scrambling for control, but taking it deftly. He commanded others and showed a brave and solid front. He was a hero.

Ginny didn't know where the fun-loving boy fit into things, but she rarely saw that aspect of him anyway. Finally Ginny shook her head. She refused to think about Harry again the whole night. This night was hers, and her best friends and no one else's.

"Hi, Gin!" exclaimed Hermione as she came into the girl's bedroom.

"Hey, Hermione. How'd my idiot brother take the news that you weren't spending the night with him?" teased Ginny.

Hermione blushed and muttered something about not having any idea what Ginny was talking about.

"Admit it! You've been sleeping in Ron's room ever since the two of you and Harry got back!" Ginny accused.

"Well…" Hermione trailed off, blushing furiously.

"I knew it!" Ginny said smugly. "You have horrid taste in guys."

"Hey, that's not fair! You are biased against Ron because he's your brother," Hermione complained.

"Well, I'm rather glad for that fact. How creepy would it be if I felt differently?" Ginny said casually as she tossed Hermione a bag of candy she had stashed in Harry's room awhile ago and brought into hers that night.

"Let's not talk about Ron and I. Let's talk about you," Hermione said hastily, sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of Ginny.

"Me? What's there to talk about?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, why on Earth have you been single so long?" asked Hermione, who had been a little concerned about her redheaded friend of late.

"Well, it hasn't been that long…" hedged Ginny, looking down at the covers by her toes, not sure if she could lie straight to Hermione's face while she was so worried about her relationship with Harry.

"You and Harry broke up at the end of June and it's almost Christmas. It's been that long," stated Hermione, passing a bottle of butter beer to Ginny and talking one from her bag for herself.

"You forgot about Robert," Ginny said, feeling rather disappointed that the long overdue night with her best friend was being eaten up telling lies.

"Robert?" asked Hermione in confusion.

"My friend Sarah's brother," Ginny reminded her, "The boy I dated a little during the summer. I told you about him!"

"Right, I forgot him," then Hermione frowned. "How come I've never met Sarah? You don't seem to hang around with anyone but us…"

"Sarah told her parents about Voldemort. She's now going to a muggle school, actually the same one as Robert is," Ginny lied breezily. "They invited me to spend a few days with them over Christmas break, actually, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to convince mum to let me go."

"Oh, well, maybe you should stay with them. Particularly if-" Hermione stopped abruptly.

"What? If you three leave again?" asked Ginny a little more bitterly than she had intended.

"Gin, are you mad at us?" asked Hermione gently, feeling a little sad that they sometimes forgot to include this girl who had few friends her own age.

"No, not at you," Ginny sighed. In reality she was a little mad at Harry, but mostly mad at herself. She had known all along that she wasn't going to be invited along on their mission because Harry was too concerned about her safety, yet she had some where let herself forget that, and she had been hurt when Harry had left and then again when he came back and acted as though nothing could possibly be wrong.

"Who then? Harry? Ginny, are you sure you're really completely over him?" asked heroine, a worried frown firmly etched on her brow.

"I'm mad at myself if you must know!" exclaimed Ginny. "I knew when I accepted the role of Head Girl that the three people I would necessarily be spending the most time with would always be far more closely connected than I could hope to be. Yet I still let myself forget that and it hurt to see you plotting together and then going off together and then coming back together. But I'm over it, alright!"

"Oh, Gin, I'm so sorry! We've been idiots," Hermione, wrapping an arm around the quietly crying girl.

"No, I've been the idiot. But let's forget it, please?" asked Ginny. "This night is supposed to be fun, alright?"

"Okay, but Gin, if you ever want to talk…" trailed off Hermione.

"I know whom to come to," Ginny reassured her friend.

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By the next morning, Ginny had lost all enthusiasm for her revenge. Still, she went through the motions, but for the most part, she didn't go far out of her way to avoid Harry. The night after the sleepover, Ginny and Hermione had the late night patrol, taking over from two of the Prefects at ten o'clock and returning around one. By the time Ginny crawled in bed, Harry was asleep. Then next night was Harry and Ron's night to patrol and the night after that was Harry and Ginny's turn. Though they usually spent sometime on patrol doing things that they probably weren't allowed to do at Hogwarts at all, let alone when in the middle of their duties, that night Ginny felt lousy. When Harry asked her what was wrong, she told him that she had a bit of a cold. He hooked an arm around her shoulders, kissed her on the top of the head and told her that he was sorry to hear that.

Then next night Ron and Hermione had the late patrol, but Ginny was really wasn't feeling well at all. Her head throbbed, and when Harry put a hand to her brow, he thought she felt rather feverish. He wanted her to go see Madam Pomfrey, but Ginny wouldn't. All she wanted to do was crawl in bed beside her boyfriend, forget all plots of revenge, and sleep like the dead. She promised Harry that if she didn't feel better in the morning, than she would go to the nurse, and he reluctantly gave in. By the time morning had rolled round, Ginny felt perfectly alright, and she had decided to entirely forget the whole plot to make Harry sorry he had thought he could so easily slip back into her life, pretending that he hadn't gone away, risking his life and severely worrying her. It had been a stupid plan, particularly since there was no way that Harry would connect his trip, which had happened weeks ago, with his girlfriend's sudden reluctance to sleep with him. Ginny sighed, wondering what on earth she had been thinking.

All she wanted now was to forget that Harry had ever been gone, and hope that he wouldn't leave again too soon. Another sad sigh passed her lips as she considered such a futile hope.

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That night, when Ginny walked into Harry's dark room, his arm snaked out of nowhere to pull her to him. "I've missed you lately," he whispered against her hair, his fingers sliding under her robes and easing them off her shoulders. Ginny didn't do anything for a moment, not sure exactly how she was feeling. "I feel like I haven't even seen you for days," continued Harry.

"Yeah, well, get used to it. This is nothing compared to how long you'll be gone when you go to hunt Voldemort!" Ginny was upset again, and sick of her roller-coaster emotions. First she was mad at Harry, than she forgave him, now she was mad again, and he hadn't even noticed that anything was wrong.

With her words, Harry froze. His hands stayed on her back, his head was still bent to almost touch hers, but he didn't move the slightest bit. "That's about the third time you've said that in the last couple days. Are you mad?"

"No, just forget it," muttered Ginny turning away from Harry to wipe the silent tears from her eyes. She didn't want to deal with this, not when she was so mixed up.

"Are you sure?" Harry's voice was very quiet, so quiet that Ginny couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Yes," she said, wishing now that she had told him everything was fine that she had just told him the truth. Honestly, what she had really wanted for days now was to talk to Harry, but she was afraid of distracting him from his goal so much that he got killed.

"Right," said Harry, seeming unaccountably sad. He walked to the bed and threw himself moodily down on it. Ginny looked at his broad back in bewilderment. Was he mad? Why would he be mad? What the hell was happening? Thoughts streamed through her mind, none firmly entrenched enough that Ginny was able to articulate them.

"Harry?" she finally asked, sitting cross-legged just bellow her pillow and staring down at him.

"Yes?" he asked wearily.

"Are you mad?" Ginny's voice was small, and she was beginning to wish that they had turned on the lights so that she didn't feel so alone in the darkness as she waited for his reply.

First came a sigh, and then came a very honest answer that Ginny was sure she was expecting. "Yeah, Gin, I am," he said, flipping over to look at her was big, sad green eyes.

"Why?" this from Ginny, even quieter.

"Because you're lying to me. Something's wrong and you won't tell me what," Harry said frankly.

"I… there's nothing wrong, nothing important at least," Ginny said, a little uncertain of herself just then.

"See, you're still doing it," Harry said evenly, "You're sitting there and lying to me and telling me that everything's alright when its not. You're acting just like the rest of them."

"The rest of who?" asked Ginny, puzzled by his reference.

"The rest of the people who have told me lie after lie because they thought it was in my best interest," Harry said, anger heating his cheeks, though he maintained an even voice.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ginny, startled but relieved that Harry didn't seem to be so much angry with her as just sort of generally upset.

"I'm talking about the fact that I can only think of one person who was ever completely honest with all of the time. That was Sirius, and I'm fairly certain he was only honest with me because he saw me as some sort of replacement best friend. Other than him, I don't think any of the people that I've ever been close to or depended on have ever been entirely honest. Lupin lied about being friends with my parents, your parents lied to me when they thought that Sirius was after me, though I suppose that was more your mum. And Dumbledore. Let's not even talk about him," Harry laughed hollowly, "It would talk weeks to wade through everything he didn't tell me even if I wanted to."

"Harry-" but Harry interrupted Ginny by putting a finger over her lips.

"Just let me talk, Gin. I have a point, I promise," he offered a pathetic smile that was at least more cheerful than the bitter twist of his mouth that had been previously present. Ginny figured that that was the best she'd get until they got a few things cleared up, so she took the hand that covered her mouth and held it. "I've been lied to my whole life, by just about everyone who I ever thought was the least bit important. At first, it was mostly people lying to themselves about things that affected me. My parents looking at themselves and then at me, and telling themselves that they could withstand everything Voldemort could throw at them at that we'd all be a happy family forever. Then it was Dumbledore looking at me and looking at the Dursleys and telling himself that I'd be fine there, and McGonagall, Hagrid, and everyone else looking at him and looking at me and telling them selves that he could never ever be wrong. Then for years the Dursleys told me that I was a worthless no account orphan whom no one cared about. After I got to Hogwarts, Dumbledore lied to me about things I haven't even figured out yet. Then there were all the adults that lied to me and to themselves that I was special, that I was the only person in the whole world that could possibly rid them of Voldemort. Everyone lies to themselves about me and to me. I'm sort of used to it, I can even understand it sometimes. Like, it stung a little when Ron and Hermione tried to hide their relationship from me at first, and it hurts a bit when I find them whispering in corners about me, but at the same time it makes a lot easier to lie to them about us. Actually, the same thing sort of applies to everyone. It's easier to look them in the eye and pretend that I'm not utterly in love with you when I think about all the thousands of times someone has looked me in the eyes and lied to 'protect' me. But Ginny, there is one person that I'd always thought would be honest with me."

Ginny knew exactly who he was talking about without him saying a word. The look in his eyes said it all. "Me?" she asked, feeling like she had screwed up royally.

"Yeah, Gin, you," Harry said, pulling away from her so he could turn and look at her more directly. "Of all people, I expected you to be totally honest with me because together we're lying to everyone else. If you don't tell me the absolute truth, than there's no way anyone else ever will."

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry," Ginny said, not certain what she was apologizing for exactly. "I just didn't want you worrying about my petty problems when you have so much to deal with."

"Gin, I would gladly forget the rest of the world to help you with your problems, however petty," Harry told her being utterly sincere in a way that melted Ginny's heart entirely.

"That's sort of my point, Harry. You are probably the one person who can't afford to forget the world's problems," Ginny pointed out. "Because nothing matters at this point except that Voldemort has you marked as the one to kill and every decent person has you pegged as the one that's going to save us all. There's not much you can do but prove one of them right. Personally, I'd rather it was the latter group. I refuse to lose you, Harry Potter."

"Ginny," Harry said, a flash of terror in his eyes, "I really have to do this don' t I? There really is no one else left, is there?"

"You want honesty?" asked Ginny, fairly certain that he would.

"Always," he said, determination was now on his face, and Ginny had the feeling that that look would last a lot longer than the millisecond of fear had.

"Yes. You have to do this because there's no one else left," Ginny said candidly. "Your role is to defeat Voldemort, Ron and Hermione's is to help you, and mine… I guess my role is to let you go," Ginny said on a sigh.

"You're able to just let me go?" asked Harry, pretending injury. "I'm hurt!"

"Well, I have to won't I? If you can be unselfish enough to save the world, than I can be unselfish enough to let you," Ginny was half joking, but she had a feeling that there was some deepness in the conversation that she might be missing, as though Harry really were looking for her permission to risk his neck to defeat Voldemort. "Can I ask one selfish thing though?"

"Name it," Harry said instantly, reclining against the bed-frame with Ginny leaning into his side.

"Don't go until after Christmas?" begged Ginny, looking up over her shoulder into Harry's emerald eyes. "Please?"

"Alright, love of my life. I'll stay through Christmas," Harry agreed solemnly enough, though a spark did light his eyes, "Though if I fail all my classes because I miss something important while I'm off doing something I could have done over holidays…"

"Then you can come back next year and I'll be your tutor!" exclaimed Ginny excitedly.

"Oh, you'll be my tutor like I'm your Defence tutor?" asked Harry.

"Yep, exactly like that," said Ginny, turning to straddle Harry's waist.

"Well then I'd best get a second tutor because you and I only rarely get around to learning anything," Harry pointed out, watching as Ginny took off her shirt and dropped it beside the bed.

"Hey, we've taught each other a ton of stuff!" protested Ginny, hands pausing over her the clasp of her bra as she spoke.

"I suppose you have taught me how to undo a bra in two seconds flat," allowed Harry, demonstrating his masterful skill at doing just that.

"You were a very good student," Ginny told him, leaning over to kiss him.

"Well, when your interested in the subject matter…" Harry offered vaguely before losing the banter in favour of faster removing his clothes and what remained of Ginny's.

As their bodies tangled in a way that was so achingly familiar to them, Ginny felt better than she had in days. Things between her and Harry were not only good again, but she liked this policy of honesty. She would have to make sure it went both ways, of course, but just then Harry thrust into her, and conscious thought flew out the window in a way that was familiar as well.

Hours later, the idea occurred to her again. Ginny turned to face Harry in the semi-darkness of the moon-lit bed, asking softly, "This whole honesty thing? Does it go both ways?" asked Ginny.

"If you want it to," Harry offered, pulling her even closer against him as he prepared to sleep.

"I do. I want us both to be completely honest." Ginny took a deep breath as she said it.

"Me, too," whispered Harry as he drifted off to sleep.

Ginny glanced up into his slumbering face. She felt surprisingly good; particularly considering that mere hours ago she had been questioning everything about everything in her life. She liked the concept of having at least one person that she never lied to, and as things stood, that person could only be Harry. The best part of all, though, was that she wanted that one person to be Harry, no matter what.


	22. Chapter 22: Get Away

**A/N: Of all chapters I have edited, this one has changed the most!!!!!! I would highly suggest that you at least skim over the new part...**

**Chapter Twenty-two**

**Get Away**

The weeks before the Christmas holidays flew by for Harry and Ginny, though they didn't spend quite as much time together as they would have liked to. With the snow enveloping the castle and the wind rattling the windows, they couldn't slip off for a walk along the lake or a snogging session under the leafy cover on the fringe of the forest, so they had much less chance of being alone together. Added to that, the teachers were piling on more homework than at the start of the year and Harry was trying to teach as much Defence as he possibly could to the school at large, and to the DA in particular, before the break interrupted his efforts. However, though through the day Harry and Ginny saw each other less than ever, their romance was hotter than it had ever been at night.

And so the days, and nights, totally filled, rushed by.

The only time during the day that seemed to stretch unbearably long for Harry were the unavoidable moments in which Harmony cornered him. She had been even more persistent since joining the DA, a decision that Harry hadn't been happy with in the first place and he had been regretting it more and more each time Harmony came up to him and asked for the tenth time when their meeting was supposed to be _exactly _and whether Harry thought that they should perhaps get together before then to practice alone. Harry had doggedly held on to his tried and true method of dealing with her by treating her like a first year, and a particularly slow one at that.

"Er, Harmony, you were asked to be in the DA because a panel of, uh, people thought that you had the necessary talent," said Harry, not mentioning that he had fought tooth and nail against it, or that she had only been asked when the Patils had been forced to decline. "If you think you aren't up to snuff, then maybe we should talk about whether you belong in the group at all. After all, you have to be certain of yourself if you're to be of any use in helping us teach the others."

"Oh, I know I can do it," said Harmony quickly, for fear that Harry would suggest that she not come to the next meeting, "It's just, I was sort of hoping to work with some one one-on-one, just so that I really get a feel for how to teach the younger students. I wouldn't want to be slip-shod then."

"Oh, if that's the case," Harry said mildly, glancing at his watch and hoping he wouldn't be too late for his next class, "Then I'll set something up. Can you be in the library for six o'clock tonight?"

"Yes," she purred enthusiastically, barely believing that Harry had actually agreed to tutor her _privately_! This was the chance that she had been hoping for since the moment that that know-it-all, Hermione Granger had invited her to join the DA. Maybe Harry was finally coming to his senses and had decided that he was actually interested in her.

"Great," Harry said, walking off, and relishing the further chance to convince Harmony that he was completely oblivious to her and had no interest in being alone with her anywhere. "Hermione will meet you there."

Harmony stared after him, gape-mouthed and utterly incredulous. Any other boy would have jumped at the opportunity she had presented months ago! Why the hell did Harry keep treating her like she was a two-year-old deficient in brainpower? Hadn't she shown him that she was good enough to be part of his selective little group of wannabe-Aurors? She knew that he couldn't have a problem with the way she looked. No boy in the place did, and she had proven that fact to herself time and again with whatever boy happened to wander by when she happened to feel the need to. What was it about Harry that made him disdain what everyone else wanted?

Maybe that was it…

Maybe Harry didn't like her because of all the very unflattering (and equally true) tales there were about her and everyone from the fourth year up. Perhaps he wasn't as wild as rumour had it and he wanted a girlfriend who wasn't either. After all, he had dated that Ginny Weasley, who, despite the fact that even Harmony had to admit she was almost pretty, was one of the biggest prudes the blonde girl had ever met. After all, the girl's first date had been with _Neville Longbottom _of all people, and Ginny had been in third year already. She hadn't even had a boyfriend until the next year, and as far as Harmony was concerned, that either described a prude or a loser. Ginny was probably both. Still, Harry _had _dated her, which was more than Harmony could say for herself…

Well, maybe she could suggest to Harry that the rumours weren't as true as he thought… even if they were.

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"Hermione, what are you up to tonight?" asked Harry, sitting across from her at lunch that day.

"Well, actually, Ron and I-" she began.

"Unfortunately not anymore. There's someone that says she needs to be tutored in Defence. Actually, she's been pestering me for weeks to find her a tutor, and today she finally gets her wish. You meet her in the library at six," Harry said, and then he dug into a pile of mashed potatoes.

"Who is it?" asked Hermione, a bit upset that her evening with Ron had to be postponed, and not sure why Harry couldn't just tutor whoever is was.

"Harmony," said Harry, casually eating but still managing a bland smile.

"What? She doesn't need extra help," Hermione said, putting down the fork she had just picked up. "Why didn't you tell her that?"

"I did. Every day for three and a half weeks, I've told her that. She didn't believe me at all," Harry was smiling pleasantly at his friend.

"Wow, if she thinks you're so wrong about things, why on earth does she want you for a tutor?" asked Ginny teasingly.

"I asked her that myself, actually. I think it was a week or so ago," Harry took a bite of his lunch, swallowing before continuing, "She giggled and ran off to class. All in all, that reaction is probably one of the best I've ever got from her."

"What? Giggling?" asked Ron, startled. He personally hated it when girls randomly giggled at him, and he had thought Harry felt the same.

"No," said Harry, "The running off to class part. That was probably the quickest I've ever got rid of her."

Hermione rolled her eyes, Ginny laughed out right and Ron snorted. He still didn't entirely understand what Harry had against the pretty blonde. Ron thought that Harry should just snog her and have done with it, since he figured both Harry and particularly Harmony, would be much happier after that. Ron wasn't counting on Ginny in that equation, but really, he couldn't be faulted for that, could he?

"Why didn't you try it the next day?" asked Ginny with a straight face.

"Oh, I did," Harry assured her, "Harmony just wouldn't play along, though. She kept saying entirely different things than she had the day before. Most of them seemed to be a long the lines of 'what on earth are you saying, Harry?' or "you aren't making a bit of sense'. As a whole the experiment was unsuccessful, seeing as I only ended up talking to the girl twice as long as I usually have to."

"What?" asked Ron, who had gotten sidetracked somewhere in the middle of all that, and had spent most of the time Harry was talking contemplating Hermione's eyes. They were really, rather pretty…

"Well, you see, I said exactly the same things in reply to whatever she said that day as I had before, but she didn't ask the same questions, so the conversation didn't flow very well," Harry noticed that neither Ron nor Hermione was paying him any attention, but seeing as he was done his lunch and the others weren't, he decided to keep talking. "So then I decided to tell her this heart-warming story about two orange bunnies and a plaid grasshopper. The first orange bunny was teasing the second one horribly about his awful taste in couches, but the brave second orange bunny just ignored the first orange bunny. He didn't talk to him at all, but just climbed the apple tree at midnight and picked a peach for his lady-love, the plaid grass-hopper."

"Did you just say a bunny was in love with a grasshopper?" asked Ginny, who had also finished her lunch.

"Yes," Harry said, turning to face her beside him instead of the pair across from him, who were whispering sweet nothings to each other.

"I don't think that that's likely, do you? I mean, where would they have met?" asked Ginny, not a grin betraying her amusement.

"Well, I can't speak for all bunny-grasshopper couples, but this particular pair met in the Forbidden Forest one day last fall. She was teaching a baby chipmunk the proper bouncing technique when he came along and told her that she was going about it all wrong and that truly wonderful bouncing required much more bend to the leg than she was demonstrating. Well, one thing led to another, and soon they were madly in love. They plan to marry next spring," Harry explained knowledgably.

"Is that so?" asked Ginny. "I had had thought it would be next summer. Will the guests are to be served fresh-cut grass and daffodils?"

"Wait a sec, don't rabbits eat insects?" asked Harry, a frown furrowing his brow.

"I don't think so…" Ginny said uncertainly.

"I think they might…" Harry said uncertainly.

"Hermione!" exclaimed both at once.

"What?" asked the brunette girl, jumping from the arms of her boyfriend guiltily.

"Do bunnies eat bugs?" asked Ginny.

"Er, no, I don't think so. I think they're herbivores," she said, smoothing her hair and throwing a curious look at the other pair. "Why?"

"Well," began Harry, "It's a very long story involving a beautiful love story that may have come to a tragic end had you answered differently."

Hermione looked around at Ron, hoping that her boyfriend might be able to explain the strange conversation to her, or at the very least sympathise with her being so lost. She was rather disappointed to see that he wasn't paying the least attention, but was shovelling in his previously ignored meal. Hermione just stared at him in disbelief for a moment, until he noticed and looked up.

"Don't look at me Hermione," Ron said, swallowing again. "I don't know if you'd noticed, but half the time Harry and Ginny talk, they have these long and confusing conversations about absolutely nothing. It's kinda like they're talking in a code you don't know."

As Ron took another massive bite of his potatoes, Hermione looked between Harry and Ginny speculatively. "Why do you think that is?" she asked.

"Don't know," Ron said, "And I don't really care. I just ignore about half of what they're saying so I don't have to listen to the nonsense."

"But how do you know if you're ignoring nonsense or something completely reasonable?" asked Hermione.

"I don't," replied Ron, "But I figure that even if about half of what I do listen to is nonsense, then at least I'm only listening to half as much crap as I would otherwise be forced to."

Hermione just shook her head as Harry and Ginny snickered. Just then, they realised that they would have to hurry or be late for their classes, so the four gathered their things and left the Great Hall in a happy, laughing knot, centred around Harry, Ginny and their story about a certain bunny who loved a plaid grasshopper.

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Much, much later, Harry and Ginny stopped into the library on their patrol of the castle. They had very mixed reactions when they came upon their best friends snogging as though there was no tomorrow in a secluded corner. Though Ginny just stood and looked disgusted, Harry cleared his throat and smiled with wicked glee. "How's the tutoring going?" he asked.

The pair sprang guiltily -and a bit comically- apart, Hermione running a hand through her hair to smooth it down and Ron blushing and looking at anything but his sister. "Er…Harmony never showed up," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"I can't say as I'm surprised," Harry admitted sitting down across from the couple. Ginny stood apart from them for a moment, her disgust evident, then, rolling her eyes, she followed suit and sat next to Harry.

"We sort of expected she wouldn't," Ron agreed, making a valiant effort to quell his blushing.

"Oh, so that's why you went along," Harry said, wicked fun gleaming in his eyes as Ron ducked his head a blushed again, muttering nothing in particular. Ginny laughed, her eyes mirroring the wicked humour in Harry's.

"Maybe you should suggest that Hermione tutor Harmony on a regular basis," she said, producing another spectacular blush from her brother.

"Oh, leave him alone, Gin," Hermione scolded, "He hasn't bugged you about your boyfriends in months."

"Yeah, but only because I carefully made sure not to tell him about my last one," Ginny pointed out.

"What are you talking about? Wasn't Harry your last boyfriend?" Ron's head had shot up quickly at the mention of his little sister and boys, his face flushing with anger rather than embarrassment, forgetting that Hermione had told him about Robert that summer.

"No, he wasn't," Ginny, said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Who was?" asked Ron, "And why didn't I know you were dating him?"

"You don't know him, and it's none of your business!" retorted Ginny, who was desperately trying to recall everything she had told Hermione about her non-existent muggle-born friend Sarah's made up brother. Rob was the name she had given him, right? No, it had been Robert.

"Fine don't tell me anything!" said Ron, "I'm only related to you be blood. Who else would you possibly tell?"

"Well," Hermione began, "She told me."

"Oh, so only Hermione gets to know who my little sister dates. Great," Ron muttered sarcastically.

"Actually," Ginny said with well-disguised glee, "I told Harry as well."

"Why would you tell him?" asked Ron indignantly.

"Harry and I are close," Ginny said, thinking how upset Ron would be if he ever found out exactly how close she was to his best friend

"Oh, sure, you're close to my two best friends, but not me!" then with that, Ron stormed out.

"I think I'll just go after him and smooth his ruffled feathers," Hermione said blandly.

"Ewww! Hermione that's my _brother_!" complained Ginny.

"What?" asked Hermione, startled for a moment before she realised what Ginny had meant. "You are a dirty minded girl, Ginny. You need to work on that."

"Don't listen to her Gin," Harry said, slinging an arm companionably about Ginny's neck, "Your dirty mind is one of the things I like about you. Makes the whole secret romance thing a lot more interesting."

"Are you still on about the whole hidden affair thing?" asked Hermione, a little sick of the standing joke. "When will you two give that bit up?"

"The moment Harry agrees to let me declare my love for him to the world at large!" Ginny cried dramatically, gesturing wildly with her arms.

"I've told you that you can't ever do that, darling," Harry reminded Ginny, the pair ignoring Hermione's eye-rolling and frustrated sighing.

"I still don't understand why I can't," Ginny replied with a pout.

"Well, you have a great many very large older brothers who I'm deathly afraid of," Harry pointed out, "I've told you that a hundred times before."

"Well, if you'd just admit to everyone that you're in love with me as well, I'm sure we'd all get on fine," Ginny said.

"No, I can't do that," Harry disagreed. "You're forgetting a very important detail in all that."

"Oh," Ginny replied, mischief glinting in her eyes, "You're right. I had forgotten that you're madly in love with Hermione."

"What?" gasped the brunette, sputtering protests.

"Yes, it's true, Hermione, dearest, darling!" declared Harry, going down on one knee in front of his best friend. "Marry me?"

Before Hermione could answer in whatever way she managed to stammer out, Ginny cut in. "Now you're the one forgetting something," she said.

"What?" asked Harry puzzled, swivelling still on one knee, to face Ginny.

"Well, the whole reason that we're having a secret affair is because you decided to step aside and let Ron have Hermione," Ginny reminded him, noticing that Hermione still remained silent.

"What's your point?" asked Harry.

"Well, it kind of puts a crimp in your plans to suffer nobly in silence and heartache if you end up stealing Hermione away from Ron and marrying her," Ginny pointed out reasonably.

"Right," Harry conceded, "Well, then, Ginny, darling, dearest! Will you marry me?"

"Nope," Ginny said, "I just want you for your body. I'm not looking for commitment."

"You two need to seek professional help," Hermione said, deciding that she had better go find her boyfriend before something else weird was said. Hermione was half afraid that Ginny would propose to her next.

"We chased away both our best friends now," Ginny pointed out as the other witch left. "You think we'd have learned our lesson by this point."

"I don't know about you, but I do it on purpose," Harry claimed, "I can't kiss you while they're around."

"Who needs friends, then?" asked Ginny, literally jumping into Harry's arms.

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Harry was hurrying back towards the library the next day, having forgot his bag there after he and Ginny had hurriedly done their homework the night before. He was just coming out with his bag and heading towards the great hall when he noticed Harmony sitting slumped by a statue of an impossibly tall witch. She appeared to be crying.

Harry was torn. It was his first instinct to hurry away before the girl noticed him and he had to talk to her, but she seemed so truly miserable that he just couldn't leave her on her own. Something seemed to really be wrong with her. So, sighing wearily, he dropped down beside her. "Something the matter?" he asked.

"Oh, Harry…" she sobbed, throwing her head down on his shoulder. "I heard Sammie and Sasha talking about me in the washroom a moment ago! They were saying the most horrible things!"

"What were they saying?" asked Harry with a frown. He had thought that Sammie and Sasha were the names of Harmony's best friends.

"They were telling some Ravenclaw that I was sleeping with at least three of the guys in every house," sobbed the girl inconsolably.

"That's a horrible thing for them to say," Harry said, all the while thinking, '_Unless it's true.'_

"The worst part is that it's not even true! I mean, I've had a lot of boyfriends, but never more than one at any time," Harmony said, wiping the tears from under her sparkling blue eyes, "And do you want to know what's even worse than that?"

_What could be worse than the 'worst part?_ Harry wondered in amusement, "What's that, Harmony?" he asked.

"They are two of my best friends," she said with a depressed sigh.

Harry didn't say anything for a long moment. He was too caught up in wondering if Harmony was perhaps not as horrible as he had originally thought. Eventually he looked at her and offered a comforting smile, "Well, at least you still have Sarah."

"Yeah, Sarah," Harmony said with a bitter sigh, "The only reason she wasn't there gossiping away with the others is because she was with me trying to gossip about Sasha and that bloke, Dean Thomas."

"That's rough," Harry offered kindly when he could think of nothing else to say.

"Oh, Harry, listen to me crying away about my petty problems! Their nothing to what trouble you must be having trying to save the whole entire world," Harmony heaved a delicate sigh, "Forget about me and my problems. I'm just some silly little girl. I don't matter."

Harmony pulled farther from Harry, and that's when he really began to feel bad for her. The poor girl was entirely upset and feeling like she was all but invisible, the way that Harry had always felt until he came to Hogwarts. The poor kid must be miserable. "Harmony, you are not just some silly little girl, and you most certainly matter. Everyone matters at some time to someone. You just happen to have rotten friends. Don't let them get you down."

"Okay," she sniffed with a small smile. "If you say I'm important, then I believe you. Who would no better than our own celebrity which people in this castle are worthwhile and which are 'rotten'?" Harmony's voice had taken on a husky quality that made Harry rather uncomfortable.

"Right," he said nervously, "I'm sure a ton of people out there would willingly agree with me, and someday you'll meet all those people and you'll make each other so happy that you'll forget all the petty things Sasha and Sammie ever said to you."

Harmony's smile wavered a bit. "You are certainly one special guy, Harry Potter."

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Harry was walking down the hallway that day after classes when he heard some giggling. He slowed his pace, not wanting to interrupt something that he'd rather not see. When he recognised Sammie's voice, Harry moved closer, thinking to scold the girl for spreading rumours about people, particularly her friends.

"Did he really buy that?" giggled the girl.

"Of course he did," Harmony replied with a laugh, "I'm a very convincing actress!"

That gave Harry pause. He didn't want to embarrass the girl by berating her friends while she was standing right there. Harry would wait until they had moved on and then continue on his way.

"Gee, Harmony do you really want to date someone as gullible as Harry seems to be?" asked Sasha, giggling away.

"Of course I do! He might be easy to fool, but that just means that I'll be able to get away with more things," Harmony told her friend.

"Are you saying that your going to keep seeing other guys if Harry asks you out?" asked Sarah, wonderment in her voice.

"Probably," Harmony answered airily.

"Who?" squealed Sarah in excitement.

"Oh, I don't know," Harmony went on, "I've been meeting Dean Thomas a lot lately, and if Harry ever heard rumours about that, I could just blame them on my nasty friends. What could be simpler?"

That short conversation marked the point where Harry truly began to hate Harmony, not that the blonde girl really noticed.

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"Ginny?" asked Harry, dropping the book he'd been trying to read for half an hour to look down at the girl who was snuggled next to him on the big chair, in the crook of his legs. She had a text book balanced on her lap, but she let go of it and tipped back her red head across his thighs to look into his eyes, upside down and side-ways as she was.

"Yes?" she asked, only too glad to be distracted from her essay. She felt like they had been sitting on the chair in 'their' bedroom for hours in front of the fire, working away. Homework just couldn't hold her attention very well when Harry was about.

"Would you like to spend part of the Christmas break alone with me?" he asked, a bit of boyish nervousness making Ginny's heart melt.

"Of course I would," Ginny assured him, moving so she could sit up and face him. "But how will we get away? I'm sure mum expects us both to be around for the entire holiday."

"I figured I could send her a letter inviting the whole family to spend Christmas with me in Grimmauld Place. I'll ask her to give me two days to get the place ready," Harry explained, "You just have to ask to spend a couple of days with your non-existent muggle friend. What's her name?"

"Sarah," Ginny reminded him promptly, "That would work, but where will we go? We can hardly hope your Aunt's family is going away and will lend us the house for a bit."

"We'll just stay at Grimmauld Place," Harry said. "I know it's a bit dreary, but at least we can be alone there."

"What if someone from the Order turns up?" asked Ginny, though she was beginning to think that Harry had already thought of everything.

"Well, I doubt that they will, but if they do, we can just hide away in the highest floor of the place," Harry pointed out, "No one but your family uses the bedrooms, in fact, I no one else goes anywhere but the kitchen and the front hall way."

"This could work," Ginny replied with a grin.

"Sure you can put up with me for two whole days?" asked Harry teasingly.

"I'll try to manage," Ginny promised with a solemn face and dancing eyes.

"Thanks," Harry said dryly.

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Ginny was sometimes amazed by how easy her family was to fool. Harry had invited the lot of them to spend Christmas with him, and the next day her mum had owled back that she would be thrilled to, and had asked if Harry was certain that he didn't want them to arrive at the beginning of the break to help him get ready. Harry had replied that he wanted to do this on his own, and that he wanted a few days just to be alone in the house, partially because he hadn't gotten the chance to be over the summer. After Harry had sent that letter, the Weasley matriarch had replied that same day to say that they would be there when Harry had originally suggested. A hurried postscript had assured Harry that Mrs Weasley understood his need to 'be near Sirius' memory'.

The next bit had been even simpler. All Ginny had to do was write to her parents and say that Sarah wanted her to spend a few days with her family, but Ginny promised to get home in time to go to Grimmauld Place with the rest of her family for Christmas day. Mrs Weasley had replied only to ask what transportation Ginny had planned. Ginny said that she would take the Knight Bus again, and that was the end of it.

That was all it took for Harry and Ginny to plan a cozy secret vacation for themselves without anyone even suspecting that they would be together.


	23. Chapter 23: A Cozy Christmas

**Chapter Twenty-three**

**A Cozy Christmas**

Ginny still couldn't believe how easy it had been to sneak away for the first two days of Christmas holidays even as she lay on a large bed in Grimmauld Place staring out the window and into the snowy yard. The past day and a half had been utterly wonderful. It had been an unbelievable relief to relax and not have to worry about who could be about to burst in or just walk around a corner and discover them. Months of lying to those they loved hung on the absolute secrecy attached to every moment they spent alone together. Ginny hadn't ever really realised how tense she had been over the past few months until she and Harry had had the chance to unwind.

With a contented sigh, Ginny got up and went in search of Harry. He had mentioned something about decorating the parlour for when her family arrived…

Which would be later that day, Ginny remembered just as she came upon Harry and Kreature, who were trying to make the tree stand straight. "Want some help?" Ginny asked as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Yes!" Harry cried in relief. "You can go Kreature."

Kreature gave a mocking bow and scampered off silently. Ginny looked after the retched beast, feeling a bit bad for him. After Harry had forbid him to talk to anyone else, the horrid elf had stopped talking all together. He hadn't spoken a word over the summer or since they'd been there, as far as Ginny knew. "You could be a little nicer to him, Harry."

"You can say that because you haven't spent the last half hour with him muttering and griping as he half heartedly spread Christmas decorations around." Harry, finally succeeded in making the tree stand straight, stood himself.

"Well, I'm here now, so I'll help you," Ginny offered, going to dig a few baubles out of shopping bags that Harry had bought that morning.

"I'd rather forget the decorating and go back upstairs with you," Harry told her as he untangled some lights.

"Yes, but then how would you explain to my family what you've been up two the last few days if you weren't decorating," Ginny pointed out.

"I don't care!" declared Harry, "We only have a few hours left before you've got to go. I'll finish after you leave."

With that, Harry scooped his giggling girlfriend into his arms and swept her up the stairs to the bedroom they'd inhabited since their arrival.

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Once or twice over the next three hours Harry and Ginny considered getting up and readying the house for the guests that would arrive roughly a half hour after Ginny left, but they ended up spending the whole time closeted away in Harry's bedroom. As a direct result of that, Ginny was running behind when she finally thought to pack her bag. She also couldn't find the shirt she had been wearing earlier that day, but she was less worried about that than she was about getting home at least sort of on time. The shirt would likely turn up, besides, she couldn't exactly remember which one she had put on in the first place.

"I don't see why you're bothering to pack," Harry commented. "I could just dump your clothes in the dresser in one of the guest rooms and you could just carry an empty bag."

"You just think that if I don't have to pack that we'll have time enough to sleep together again," Ginny accused, scooping an armful of clothing off the floor, not sure whether it was all hers and not really caring. After all, she'd likely be staying in the next room over like she had during the summer, so she could return any of Harry's things that got mixed in with hers.

"Well, I hadn't thought of that, but know that you mention it…" Harry said with a smile, kissing Ginny on the cheek and helping her pack her bag.

"I'll be back soon, love, and as like as not we can do what we did over the summer," Ginny told him with a laugh, looking around for her shoes.

"I'm looking forward to it!" Harry shouted as Ginny hurried out the door. He considered accompanying her to the door, but instead he fell back onto the bed. He lay there barely a moment before he sprang to his feet and crossed to a window that over looked Grimmauld Place. Ginny was standing on the street in front of the house as the Knight Bus pulled up to the curb. Harry watched her climb aboard, sighing a little, but cheering himself with the thought that she would be back again very soon. Which reminded him that there would also be other people arriving at Grimmauld Place very soon.

With a groan, Harry stood and hurried down to the kitchen to conjure up some sandwiches to feed people right when they arrived. He had put a turkey in the oven before Ginny had gotten up that morning, but it wouldn't be ready until suppertime according to the book that Harry had been consulting. Cooking for a huge group was apparently much more challenging than cooking for just a few people.

Harry also had the house to decorate. He hurried up the parlour and groaned again. Apparently he had only strung one pathetic strand of holly and barely put one decoration on the lopsided tree. Harry had no idea how he was supposed to get this house in shape in just a half hour. Even with magic, he could only work so fast, and he couldn't very well explain to everyone what he had been doing for the past two days that prevented him from decorating then. With grim determination, Harry waved his wand and began stringing crystal bubbles along the tree.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was considering calling Kreature for help, he really was. The parlour was covered in Christmas decorations, and he had managed to drape most of the hallways with boughs of holly, but he hadn't done much else. Originally Harry had had grand plans for making the dreary house rival Hogwarts for Christmas cheer and colour, but when he realised how daunting a task that would be, Harry settled for the best he could do in the meagre time he had. He frantically hurried to the kitchen, sending strings of icicles behind him as he went, hoping that at least the meal would turn out well.

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Ginny looked around the front yard of the Burrow before entering the house. With snow trimming the windows, doors and roof, the place didn't look so ramshackle, but more like a storybook house. She had always loved her home in the winter. Inside there were only a few decorations though, because they would all be spending Christmas with Harry, and there were none of the wonderful smells of cooking feasts that usually emanated from the kitchen this time of year. It would have seemed almost abandoned and sad had so many people not been rushing about packing up to leave.

"Ginny!" exclaimed the girl's father the moment he saw her. The pair embraced briefly but were quickly caught up in the busy stream of people doing last minute things. Somewhere between helping Hermione cage Crookshanks and banishing the thick purple smoke that had spontaneously erupted from the suitcase that Fred had been dragging to the fireplace, Mrs Weasley pulled Ginny aside.

"Darling, I really think you and Hermione should share a room at Grimmauld Place," she said firmly.

"Why?" asked Ginny, heart sinking at the thought of losing nights alone with Harry, "There are more than enough rooms for us all to have two, let alone one to ourselves!"

"Well," said Mrs Weasley, blushing a bit, "Ron and Hermione are _together_ now, so I really think it best if you share with her and Harry shares with him."

_How do I argue with that? _thought Ginny desperately. "Er, well, yeah, okay," was the best she could manage.

Mrs Weasley shot her a look that said she was suspicious of Ginny's reluctance, but before she could pursue it father, Charlie stomped towards her, claiming that Fred and George had stolen all his socks and turned them purple.

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When Mr and Mrs Weasley finally arrived, toting five sons, a daughter and a daughter-in-law behind them, Harry had managed to put some sort of decoration in every room that would be in use. Some of them were a bit ragged or pathetic, but he felt he had done a creditable job, all things considered. The meal was also turning out well, so far as he had gotten in its preparation, though he was a little afraid that spontaneously eight-teen things would need to be done and he wouldn't have enough hands. Harry supposed if that happened, he could always ask for Mrs Weasley's help.

She had seemed almost ready to take charge the moment she had arrived, until she had looked around the neat kitchen and checked on the food that was simmering, bubbling and or cooking merrily away. "My, everything looks wonderful, Harry!" she exclaimed with a bit of bewilderment.

"Harry is a great cook, mum," Ron commented. "He made these egg things that were to die for last summer."

"Really?" asked Mrs Weasley, turning to Harry, "I had no idea. Where ever did you learn?"

"Dursleys," Harry grunted simply.

"Right," said Mrs Weasley, going tight lipped, as she was prone to do whenever Harry's aunt's family was mentioned. "Well, I think that we should settle everyone's things in their rooms, don't you, Harry?"

"Sure," Harry said cheerily, thinking of having Ginny in the room right next to his again, "Same arrangements as last time?"

"Er, well, I had thought it might be nice for you and Ron to share, and for Hermione and Ginny to do the same," replied Mrs Weasley brightly.

"Um," said Harry sadly, "Whatever you think is best."

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"What's this all about?" Harry asked the other three teens as they all carried trunks and bags up to the rooms that they would be sharing between the four of them over the holidays. "You two didn't go and tell her that you're dating did you?"

"Well, we didn't so much tell her…" muttered Ron, cheeks flushed.

"She didn't walk in on you two going at it, did she?" asked Harry, caught between laughter and disgust.

"We were just kissing!" protested Hermione, blushing now herself.

"Ew!" exclaimed Ginny, throwing a pillow at the other girl. "You weren't in my room, were you?"

"No!" cried Ron. "Can we not talk about this anymore?"

"I'd be more than happy to stop thinking about who my brother is kissing," Ginny commented. "I'd be even happier if my mum didn't feel that I should play chaperone for you two."

"You and me both, kid," Ron said, ruffling her hair and hurrying out of the room with a nod at Harry and a smile in Hermione's direction. Ron was barely out the door before Hermione left as well.

"They've gotten disgusting," Ginny said lightly as she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck.

"Promise me that we'll never disgust our friends with such badly hidden signs of wanting to go snog," Harry asked, looking down into warm brown eyes.

"We should have some sort of signal that no one else will possibly understand to avoid such things," Ginny suggested.

"I think that we should just tell whoever is about the story of the pink grasshopper and the purple bunny. That seemed to clear them out last time."

"Wasn't it an orange bunny and a striped grasshopper?" asked Ginny.

"No, I believe the grasshopper was plaid, actually," Harry disagreed.

"I think that our sign should be much clearer than this one. We can't even agree on the colour scheme of this one," Ginny said, snuggling even closer.

"How about we just mention our secret illicit affair?" asked Harry. "Simple, to the point and no one would believe us anyway."

"Nah," said Ginny, "Let's just have a secret password."

"Okay," said Harry, "How about 'Ginerva Weasley has the most gorgeous eyes on earth'?"

"That won't work at all!" exclaimed the redhead.

"You missed the point of the suggestion, Gin. I was giving you a compliment," explained Harry.

"Oh," said Ginny, "I think that the secret phrase should be 'blue marmalade'."

"You got it, babe," Harry said agreeably.

"I'm glad you like it," Ginny said happily.

"Gin," said Harry.

"Yes?" inquired Ginny.

"Blue marmalade," he replied, and she leaned in to kiss him.

Alas, just before their lips touched, the doorknob rattled. The pair sprang apart like, well, like what they were: a guilty teenage couple on the verge of being caught kissing. Harry began setting up a chessboard on top of one bed while Ginny threw clothes in her wardrobe. Mrs Weasley walked in. "Harry, dear, you should go check on the turkey," she said, "Where have Ron and Hermione got to?"

"I don't know," Ginny said as Harry threaded out of the room to head for the kitchen.

That close miss set the pattern for the next few days. Mrs Weasley kept bursting into rooms where Harry and Ginny had escaped to for a few private moments, looking to make sure that Ron and Hermione hadn't snuck off. Even when Mrs Weasley was occupied babysitting the other couple, there were numerous others who would come to while away the time with Harry and Ginny, from her brothers and father to Lupin and Tonks, and occasionally, a teacher or other Order member. Harry often thought that they might as well tell everyone their secret and make some sort of deal with Ron and Hermione to take turns keeping Mrs Weasley occupied.

It was a real shock for the pair to be suddenly surrounded by nosy people again after their blissful two days. They were suddenly ten times as tense as before, and this time they were aware of the tension. Ginny in particular was feeling poorly, a fact that went unnoticed until Christmas Eve, two weeks after everyone had arrived at Grimmauld Place.

The youngest Weasley had been looking down at a calendar, counting the days left until they returned to Hogwarts when a sudden realisation hit. Ginny sat down on her bed hard, face pale and eyes big with shock. Ideas, protests and possibilities whorled in her mind, and she sat staring into space for long moments. Only Hermione's sudden arrival snapped her out of it. The other girl had come into their room, and rushed to Ginny's side in worry at the sit of her sickly pale friend. "What's the matter, Gin?" she asked.

"I think, I might be…pregnant," she whispered faintly.

"How likely is it?" asked Hermione, shocked.

"I'm nearly a week late," commented Ginny, forgetting everything but that fact for a moment.

"But how's that possible? You're not seeing anyone!" exclaimed the older of the two teen girls. Ginny suddenly remembered with sudden heartbreak that no one knew about her and Harry.

"Um," she said, "Sarah's brother. Robert."

"Oh my gosh! Ginny Weasley, you slept with him?" cried Hermione.

"Just once," she said, trying to remember every little thing she had ever said about the fictional brother of her non-existent friend.

"We can figure out a way to test for sure, but I think that we should leave this at least until after everyone has gone to bed," said Hermione, falling back on logic as her mind reeled from Ginny's revelation. "I need to go look a few things up."

"Right," said Ginny, glad that Hermione was going to leave her alone with her lies, yet upset to be on her own with this bit of news.

"Oh, Gin," sighed Hermione, wrapping her arms around the younger girl, who suddenly looked twelve-years-old instead of sixteen.

The next hour dragged horribly for Ginny. She sat on her bed, trying to come to decisions without enough solid fact to base them on. Finally she concluded that there was one thing that had to be done above all others, and she leapt up to do it. She searched the house and quickly found him in the parlour, mercifully alone.

"Ginny, I was hoping that you'd turn up before anyone else did," he said, shutting the door behind her before turning to look at her properly. "What's wrong?"

"Harry," she said, "You said you wanted honesty from me. Here it is; I think I might be pregnant."


	24. Chapter 24: Results

**Chapter Twenty-four**

**Results**

Harry pulled Ginny into his arms, her shocking announcement reverberating with in him still. _'You said you wanted honesty from me. Here it is; I think I might be pregnant.'_ That sentence had the power to change both their lives forever.

Ginny was crying, sobbing really, into his shoulders. Harry shushed her, rubbing her back gently, trying to offer comfort and yet knowing that he couldn't really. There would be no comfort for either of them until they knew if it were true or not. Still, Harry felt he had to try and make Ginny feel at least a little better, so he pulled her even closer and continued to murmur soothing nonsense in her ear. All the while he was mentally berating himself.

_How could I be so stupid?_ Harry thought furiously. _For five months we've been having unprotected sex. This would almost serve us right!_ Self-disgust ran rampant through him as he promised himself that the moment that Ginny fell asleep he would go and look up fifty different kinds of magical birth control. He would also buy an amazingly large bouquet of flowers for Ginny to make sure that she knew that he didn't blame her in the least.

Then another sickening thought hit Harry. What if Ginny blamed him? What if she was absolutely furious with him? What if she wanted to break-up? Harry didn't think that he could handle that. "Ginny, darling, don't be mad. Don't cry," he begged, his whispered words now receiving all the energy of his fear.

"I'm not mad!" she hiccoughed. "I'm upset, and I'm scared and- and-" her tears began to fall faster again, and she buried her head in Harry's chest. He felt enormously relieved to find that she wasn't angry with him, and he just held her contentedly for a moment. Then another thought intruded.

_Fool, _he thought, _Harry, how can you be worried about your girlfriend breaking up with you when she's just told you that she might be having your baby!_ He called himself ten kinds of idiot and then began to really think about his situation for the first time. Ginny might be having a baby. His baby.

"Shhh… it will be alright, sweetie," he murmured into her hair. "Don't worry everything will work out okay."

That was the scene that Ron, Mrs Weasley and the twins walked in on a few moments later. Ginny was sitting on Harry's lap, sobbing for all she was worth while the other teen held her close and murmured into her loose red hair. "What's going on?" asked four sharp voices, making Harry look up, though Ginny didn't stop crying.

"Er, Ginny's," began Harry, thinking furiously, "Ginny's just had an owl from her boyfriend. He's broke up with her."

"Ginny doesn't have a boyfriend," Ron argued.

"Well, she did until a few moments ago," said Harry, "She just hadn't gotten around to telling any of you."

"Who was he?" asked Ron, looking furious and slightly murderous.

"No one you know," Harry said, and then saw that that wouldn't cut it. "Some muggle bloke called Rob. Her friend Sarah's brother, I think."

"How on earth do you know all that?" asked Fred suspiciously.

"Ginny told me months ago," Harry said, extremely glad that Ginny seemed to be calming down a little bit. He didn't want to just jump her off his lap, but he was growing increasingly uncomfortable with her hanging off him while her mother and three of her brothers looked on.

"When did you two get so close?" asked George, looking as upset as Ron.

"When our two best friends decided that they preferred to sit snogging in our common room until all hours of the night. Ginny and I became friends in defence," Harry said, hoping that Ron wouldn't remember that he and Ginny had spent a lot of time alone together even before Ron and Hermione had officially began dating.

"It's true, actually," said Ron, "The pair of them spend a lot of time together. Half the time it's like they're speaking in some weird personal code. Damn annoying, that it."

"Is that so?" asked Mrs Weasley speculatively, even as she went to sit beside Harry and Ginny on the couch.

"Er, I guess," said Harry, wishing that he didn't have to deal with the Weasleys five minutes after learning that he may have impregnated their youngest child. He was beginning to suspect that Ginny was purposefully pretending to be crying still so that she didn't have to face them. "Look, I think I'll just carry Ginny to her room. She could probably use a nap."

Before anyone could protest, Harry sprang up and out of the room, carrying Ginny and closeting the both of them in her room. The four Weasley that he had left in the room were silent for a moment before George said, "What do you think of that?"

"I think someone's still in love with our baby sister," commented Fred.

"Nah," Ron disagreed, "I'm pretty certain that they're just friends. I mean, they would have told Hermione and I at least if they were more than that."

"Are you sure?" asked George.

"Have you noticed either of them behaving oddly?" asked Fred.

"Ginny and Harry? They always behave oddly," Ron said with a snort. "Always joking about bunnies and grasshoppers and their secret affair…"

"Secret affair?" asked George.

"You didn't think of that as a bit of a clue?" asked Fred sarcastically.

"Well, no, but you don't really understand…" Ron trailed off. "Harry's somehow got this reputation of having slept with every girl at Hogwarts, and he thinks its funny, so he jokes about things like that…"

"You let Ginny spend time alone with someone who is supposed to have slept with every girl at school?" cried one twin.

"But it's not true! At least I'm fairly sure its not…" protested Ron, "I mean, if it were, than why would Harry spend so much time hiding from Harmony?"

"Who's Harmony?" asked Fred.

"This sixth-year who's determined to get Harry to sleep with her," Ron said, "But Harry's having none of it. He does absolutely everything he can to escape talking to her at all, let alone spending any time with her."

"Well, that would make sense-" began George.

"If he were dating someone else and didn't want to make her mad," continued Fred.

"Someone like our sister," added George.

"You know, the one that he's always joking about having a secret affair with," finished Fred.

"No, really I don't think they're serious about that! I mean, Harry proposed to Hermione the other night as well, and, and I'm sure they're just joking!" Ron protested again.

"Boys, enough of this!" cried Mrs Weasley. "You're sister was upset and Harry was just being her friend. That's it, that's all, stay out of your sister's love life."

Then she walked out, and her three sons stared after her. They had forgotten that their mother was in the room until she had spoken up…

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When Ginny had first realised that her period was a quite a bit overdue, she had tried reassuring herself that it was only due to stress, but couldn't quite manage it, though it was possible. Something just didn't feel right about missing a period after so many months of sharing a bed with her boyfriend freely and easily. Though she was kicking herself now, Ginny hadn't once thought of birth control.

Because she had been a tender fifteen years old when they had first (unexpectedly) made love, it was an understandable oversight, but still one that made Ginny feel sick. Of course, that could be the precursor to morning sickness she was feeling…

Now, as she lay in her bed all alone, Ginny was beginning to think that there was no way that she wasn't pregnant. She was really wishing that Harry hadn't left an hour ago just because Hermione had come in. She wanted nothing more than for him to wrap her in his arms just as he had done when she had first told him. She tried to keep her thoughts somewhere light, but out of the shelter that Harry provided. So, for the next ten minutes, Ginny sat worrying until Hermione quietly slipped back into her room. The older girl had been in one of the unused bathrooms, preparing the pregnancy test, and she had said she would come back for Ginny when it was ready. "Come on, Gin," she said.

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Five minutes later, Ginny had the results. She looked at Hermione, her face devoid of any emotion, and said quietly, "Thanks for helping me. I think I'm going to go and grab a glass of warm milk. I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay," Hermione sympathetically, "I'll just go back to bed, I guess."

Ginny watched Hermione leave, then she walked out of the room herself. Instead of the kitchen, Ginny slipped into Harry and Ron's room. She was distantly relieved to find that Ron was asleep, but that Harry was still awake. She slid in silently beside him and her wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Some things are going to need to change now," she said.

"I know," he replied. "I've already started doing some research."

"That's good. I never want to be this scared again," she said.

"Me either," he replied, having read the results in her face the moment she had walked in. "Ginny?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Is it all right that I'm a little disappointed?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am too," Ginny assured him, "But mostly I'm relieved. We're too young right now."

"Yes, but someday," he began, "Someday, we'll get married and have children together."

"Of course we will," Ginny replied with a little smile. "Just not at least until I'm legally old enough to Apparate."

"It's a deal," said Harry.

Harry reached into the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out a small wrapped box. "Ginny, it's after midnight, so it's officially Christmas," he said, handing her the present. "I wanted you to open this in private anyway."

Ginny did as he asked and pulled out a gorgeous and delicate ring. "Oh, Harry!"

"It was my mother's as well," Harry explained, sliding the finally wrought silver ring that was shaped like the stem and leaf of a flower. A shining ruby was cut to look like the flower part of a rose and was perched on top. "I hope you're not sick of getting second hand jewellery, because I still have her grandmother's engagement ring and a ring that's a female version of the Potter crest that my father gave her. Apparently she left all those things with my grandmother and she passed them on to Petunia. I really wish I had their rings, but I'm fairly certain that they were destroyed at Godric's Hollow."

"Harry, shut up long enough for me to tell you how much I love both this ring and the one you already gave me. I'm honoured that you'd give me these things that belonged to your mother." Ginny leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"I'm glad," Harry said. "Because someday I plan to give you the engagement ring at the very least."

"Really?" asked Ginny. "Is that a proposal?"

"Sort of more like a pre-proposal," Harry said with a laugh. "I don't want to ask you to marry me until after Voldemort is gone… that way if the worst were to happen-"

"Listen, Harry, I was just teasing, I know that there are other things that have to be settled first. I don't want to think about the worst, just now. I want to concentrate on my pretty ring and my amazing boyfriend and having a wonderful Christmas tomorrow. We can't do much about the future right now, so let's just worry about what we're going to say when everyone notices the ring," suggested Ginny.

"Just tell them I gave it to you for Christmas. I got Hermione a necklace and your mum a bracelet, so it shouldn't seem to odd," commented Harry.

"You think of everything, don't you?" asked Ginny.

"Well, I wanted you to be able to wear this one," Harry said.

Ginny's answer was cut off by a particularly loud snore from her brother. She sighed a little, kissed Harry, then said, "I'd better go."

"I suppose," Harry replied, "Goodnight."

"Merry Christmas," Ginny whispered from the doorway.

"Merry Christmas," he called back.


	25. Chapter 25:‘Bloody Stupid Decision’

**Chapter Twenty-five**

'**Bloody Stupid Decision' **

"I cannot begin to tell you how utterly relieved I am to be back here again," said Ginny as she and Harry both walked into his room at Hogwarts. She was giddy with all the small pleasures of returning to the place that was her home after weeks away. She was ecstatic just to be able to walk through the front door with Harry instead of skulking in through the secret, adjoining door as she usually did. Ginny supposed that meant that she was also grateful that Hermione and her brother had disappeared into his bedroom the moment they had all returned, allowing Ginny the freedom to walk through whatever door she wanted, but she didn't really want to think about _that_ aspect of their relationship.

"Me, too, babe," Harry said, kissing Ginny's cheek before slinging his trunk to the ground, "I thought the holidays would never end!"

"Same here," said Ginny as she dumped most of the contents of her trunk on the floor of Harry's closet.

"You know," Harry said with deep amusement, "Hooks, hangers, shelves and what not are meant so that you don't have to throw your things on the ground."

"I know, I just don't see the point in hanging up things that I'll be taking down again anyway. I'll never be as neat as you are," Ginny said with a shrug, "I just don't understand why someone would go to all that bother to be."

"Ask my aunt. Over the last seventeen years she has gone to a lot of trouble to drill neatness into me," replied Harry flippantly, "Besides, if there's less clutter, there's more room to move about."

"Oh, Harry, we have tons of space! Besides, clutter makes a place more like your home," argued Ginny, thinking unfavourably of Harry's claustrophobic cupboard at Privet Drive.

"Maybe that's why I'm happier living in this one room than I could ever be if I had a whole palace of space to my self. Or," he continued with a wicked gleam in his eye, "Maybe its because I have hot sex with my girlfriend here on a regular basis."

"Probably the second one," Ginny agreed, dropping down onto the bed with a wide grin.

"You know, this dating-in-secret thing has some serious benefits," commented Harry, dropping down beside Ginny and propping his head up on his elbow to look down at her.

She gazed admiringly at her new ring as she asked lazily, "Like what?"

"Well," Harry said, "Think about it. If your parents, or brothers or even the teachers knew about us, then our rooms wouldn't likely adjoin, and everyone would probably be a lot more suspicious of us spending time alone."

"You're right," agreed Ginny, "Maybe we should never tell them/"

"At least not until we're married," Harry replied with a grin.

"Why tell them then?" asked Ginny, running her right hand, complete with ring, through his hair.

"Because, when we're married, they'll want grandkids or nieces or nephews, so they can't object when I do things like this to you," said Harry, running his hand up her thigh as he dipped his head to nuzzle her neck.

_The best part of wearing a skirt is when someone's got his hand under it, _thought Ginny as she pushed Harry over and straddled his waist. Both his hands now rested on her knees as she slowly undid the buttons of her blouse. She tossed it aside, finally and slid her bra straps down, then undid the clasp. Cool January air hit her breasts, arousing them a little even before Harry's hot gaze could do so. He began stroking her inner thighs and her hand came up to toy with her right breast as she reached behind herself to grasp him in her left hand. She squeezed gently, rubbing her fingers along his fly.

Harry flipped her suddenly onto her back, and as she recovered her breath, he did away with his pants and boxers. When he rejoined her, he pushed up her skirt and slid down her knickers with his teeth, stopping along the way to nip and kiss her legs. Then Harry's mouth wandered up to her breasts, and his hands slipped under her to stroke her ass. When Ginny felt she could really take no more, she rolled over, taking Harry with her.

On top now, Ginny slid herself down onto Harry and began to move her hips. With moaning, and astonishing speed, both came and lay panting on the bed, side by side. Ginny wore her skirt still, but otherwise they were completely nude. After long minutes, Harry managed to reach over and pull a cover over the pair of them, and they didn't mover for another ten minutes.

This time when they made love, they went much slower, and both lasted much longer before toppling over the edge and falling into a deep sleep.

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Ginny awoke nearly an hour later with the watery January sun filling the room with afternoon light and Harry's arm curved around her waist. She snuggled deeper against the firm wall of his chest and contentedly sighed. Long moments later, she heard a quiet whisper from behind her.

"Ginny?" asked Harry, a sad note in his voice.

"Yes?" she responded, feeling a bit apprehensive.

"It's after Christmas," he said plainly.

"I know," she responded with a sigh.

"I'll have to leave very soon," Harry elaborated quietly, hugging Ginny more tightly.

"I know," Ginny said even more quietly.

There was a long pause in which Harry wished desperately he could see Ginny's face while she reacted to his reminder.

"You're not leaving for a bit, though, right?" she begged, tears in her voice. "You have to find out where to go next don't you? So you'll be here a bit longer?"

"We've known where we probably need to go for about a month now," Harry said softly, not sure how Ginny would react.

"Oh," she said, realising that it was only his promise to her to not to go before Christmas that had kept Harry with her for so long.

"You know that I want to stay with you, right? You know that I'd rather not leave you ever?" he asked passionately, wishing Ginny would just turn to look at him.

"I know," she replied quietly, and then she whipped around to face him. "Harry, let me go with you!"

For a very long time Harry stared down into Ginny's chocolate eyes. He looked at her and tried to tell himself that he was protecting her, that it was necessary that she stay behind. Yet he wanted her to come with him so badly that the fact that no one knew they were dating was starting to seem like all the 'protection' she would need. Harry suddenly thought of how relaxing it had been to be with Ginny away from school, and when he tried to remind himself how horrible it would be if she were to be hurt, pictures of Ginny training with the DA came to mind. Following those images were even more convincing ones of Ginny holding her own against Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries and when they attacked the castle at the end of the previous year. Ginny was a fighter, and a bloody good one…

"Alright then," he said, without really realising it. "Come with me!"

"What?" gasped Ginny in astonishment.

"I said, 'come with me'. And I mean it, I really do. Listen," he went on earnestly, the idea catching him and running on without his consent. "I really don't want to leave you again, and you can hold your own in a fight, in the unlikely event we find ourselves in one. Really, all we did last time was search this old mouldy tomb, and it wasn't so bad. I mean, the most dangerous part was probably when we destroyed the Horcrux, and Hermione came up with this potion that should make that easier. It's based on spider venom, I think."

"Spider venom?" asked Ginny, struggling to keep up with Harry's fast paced explanations.

"Yeah," said Harry, cheerfully going on to explain a little more, much happier now that he had decided that Ginny would accompany them on their mission. "I won't tell you what Ron said when Hermione told us that we'd have to round up hundreds of the creepy-crawly things. He finally flat out refused to help and ended up being in charge of stealing a few things from the store cupboards, which is a lot easier when Slughorn is potions master than when Snape was."

"You stole stuff from Snape?" asked Ginny faintly, still processing the offer Harry had made.

"Yeah, twice I think. Hermione took some stuff to make Polyjuice potion- I can't remember what- and then in fourth year Dobby stole gillyweed for the underwater task. Anyway, we should get up and go tell Ron and Hermione that you're coming. We'll have to make up some sort of excuse, oh, and we'll have to leave someone else in charge of the DA, but that won't be so bad. We'll see how they do without us." Even as he talked, Harry sprang from the bed and began tracking down their clothing, tossing Ginny any thing that belonged to her as he came across it. He was halfway dressed as Ginny stared at him from the bed before she spoke.

"Harry," she said, and as he didn't stop hunting for his shirt, she repeated, "Harry. Stop for a second."

"Sorry, no can do," he said, smiling happily at Ginny, then leaning down to kiss her square on the lips. "We've got a ton to do, and not very much time. I want to get this all over with as soon as possible."

"Oh, Harry," sighed Ginny, allowing herself to go with the moment and tramping down her sense that his suggestion that she go along with them was too good to be true. _I don't care right now. I refuse to ruin this by worrying that something will go wrong!_ So she let her elation shine through and jumped up to pull on her clothes. She was fully dressed and following along as he towed her by the hand through their common room before Ginny worked up the courage to ask the question that could burst her happiness. "Oh, Harry! Do I really get to go with you?"

"You bet, Gin," and his grin was so happy and cocky and so unlike the unsure and sad one he usually offered, that Ginny believed him. She squealed and threw herself into his arms, happy beyond belief.

"Thank you!" she squealed, "I love you!"

"Right back at you," Harry said, hugging her tightly, "Right back at you."

"What's up?" asked Hermione suspiciously from the stairs.

"Er, well, I came to a bit of a decision," said Harry, looking up at his two best friends, who were standing on the landing at the top of the staircase, but still not releasing Ginny.

"Why are you hugging Ginny?" asked Ron, not really suspicious, but still finding it a little odd. Those two seemed so _close_…

"Harry's just told me something wonderful! I just had to hug him!" exclaimed Ginny, bouncing out of Harry's arms to face the other couple.

"You two getting engaged?" asked Hermione teasingly.

"You're not dating are you?" asked Ron, wondering if that was why they seemed to be hanging out so much lately.

"Yes, Ron, as a matter of fact we are," said Ginny, rolling her eyes, "Actually, we just came from shagging in Harry's room, if you must know."

Ron laughed weakly, greatly comforted by the embarrassed flush of Harry's cheeks. At least _he _thought it was ridiculous and mortifying to think of Ginny shagging anyone.

"You have got to stop saying things like that," advised Hermione, "Or one day you and Harry will end up getting back together and no one will believe you when you tell them."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" giggled Ginny.

"Well, what was the big news anyway?" asked Ron.

"Harry's decided that I can come along with you on when you leave in two days to go after the next Horcrux," Ginny announced, grinning madly.

"WHAT?" roared Ron at the exact same moment Hermione asked, "Two days?"

"Ginny will be accompanying us when we leave to destroy the Horcrux in two days," repeated Harry in his best commander voice before he got up and left amidst the protests of his best friends. In his wake, a deathly silence trailed.

"Well," snorted Ron angrily, turning on Ginny after having stormed down the stairs and almost chasing Harry out the door, "You two _must_ have been shagging for him to have made such a bloody stupid decision."


	26. Chapter 26: Will She Stay or Will She Go

**A/N: This is the last chapter I had to edit, so next up is an actual new chapter!!!!!!!!**

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Will She Stay or Will She Go?**

Ginny was furious. Angrier than she could ever remember being, and all that hot, burning rage was directed at one of the people she most loved in the world. Actually, Ron was probably one of the people she was mad at most often, but still, this went beyond the usual squabbles they had. She couldn't believe he had said those things to her, his baby sister!

_You two must have been shagging for him to make such a bloody stupid decision!_

Maybe the words burned so badly because there was a kernel of truth in her brother's cruel comments. They _had_ just slept together, but did that really have bearing on Harry's decision to allow her to accompany them on the Horcrux hunt? Maybe it was a stupid decision, but what right did Ron have to question what Harry decided? What right did he have to bluntly declare that Ginny was sleeping with Harry? What right did he have to be so uncomfortably close to the truth?

"Ron, that was a horrible thing to say!" cried Hermione, turning a disapproving glare on her boyfriend, but wondering if he maybe hadn't wandered somewhere near the truth. Maybe Harry and Ginny had gotten back to together and that was why he had said the younger girl could accompany them…

"Wouldn't he look if I told him it were true!" hissed Ginny in seething rage as a hard ball of pure anger compressed and compacted into her chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Is it?" asked Ron sharply, looking over Hermione's head to glare at his sister.

"You haven't any right to ask after what you just said!" Ginny countered, furious that Ron would dare to ask.

"I have every bloody right to know if my baby sister has turned into some sort of fast woman willing to sleep with any random person!" Ron said angrily.

"Oh, so now you've got me in bed with everyone in Hogwarts, have you? Well, I'll have you know, Harry is not some random guy-"

"Oh, so you did sleep with him! How could you, Gin?" Ron said, triumph and disgust mixing in his voice.

Ginny let out an inhuman screech and let loose a blast of raw power that flashed an icy blue as it threw Ron across the room. His head cracked against the staircase before he slid to the ground, but Ginny didn't even pause long enough to see Hermione rush to his side before she stormed out. She wanted to beat the idiocy out of her brother, but most of all, she wanted to prove he wasn't right. She wanted to look Harry in the eyes and be sure that he wanted her along for the right reasons, not just because they were sleeping together.

Ginny stormed through the halls, ignoring the few students who had come back early like they themselves had a few hours before. Oh, had it been mere hours ago? Had she and Harry really slept together, decided that she was to accompany them and confronted Ron and Hermione with that decision all in the bare four hours they had been back at school? Things were moving too fast! Ginny hadn't really had time to cope with the sudden determination that she would be allowed to go with them to find the last Horcrux, let alone defend that choice to anyone else. It was horrible to hear Ron talk to her like that.

And all of a sudden Ginny was mad again. She was so furious that she barely saw Harry until she nearly tripped over him as she rushed through the halls blindly. Harry had been sitting at the foot of a suit of armour, reading a book about practical spells for camping, and he looked up in utter surprise when Ginny, spitting mad, nearly fell into his lap. "What did they say?" he asked, wondering if it might not have been wise to leave her on her own when he had, no matter how impressive an exit he had managed to make.

"That bloody PRAT said something so utterly, so terrible, so…!" Ginny just shook her head and threw herself down beside Harry.

"What?" asked Harry wearily, not really feeling up to dealing with a Weasley squabble.

"I refuse to repeat it. His vile accusations to not bear repetition," Ginny said firmly, and sunk into a sullen silence that she broke long minutes later when she had let go of her anger enough to wonder again whether there might be any truth in Ron's nasty insinuations. "Harry, tell me the truth about something, okay?"

"Always, Gin," he replied instantly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "We've got nothing if we don't have truth between us."

"Okay, then. Why do you want me to come? What changed your mind after so long?" she said and waited with baited breath for Harry's response.

"Ginny, I love you beyond all belief. I want you to come with me because…" Harry paused to ponder his answer a moment longer, "Because I can't bare the thought of leaving you behind, and because I know that you can take care of yourself if you have to and that you're nearly as smart as Hermione, twice as brave as Ron and that… just that I love you. I want you to come because I can't imagine leaving you again."

"Okay," said Ginny, feeling a little awed at Harry's revelations that really weren't revelations. "If that's why, then of course I'll come."

"Gin, what did Ron say that made you think that there might be some other reason I wanted you along?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it," Ginny muttered, getting up and pulling Harry up as well. "I'm off to the library for a bit."

Then Ginny hurried away, and Harry decided that he would have to try another tact to get the information. He caught up to her in the next hallway, and grasped her hand. She spun reluctantly to face him, looking into his clear green eyes. "Ginny Weasley, tell me the honest truth. Please? I need you to tell me," Harry said gently, and Ginny couldn't resist anymore.

"He said that the only reason that you could possibly have to ask me along would be if I had slept with you," she admitted.

"I see," Harry said in a tightly controlled voice. Then he walked away in the direction of the tower.

Ginny watched him go, and considered going after him, but quickly decided against it. Ron deserved to have Harry yell at him.

Even so, she didn't particularly want to be around to see it happen so she sauntered off in the direction of the library, smiling at the thought of Harry yelling at Ron, and hoping that she hadn't hurt him too badly when she had blasted him across the room.

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Harry stormed into the common room to find Ron and Hermione standing in front of the fireplace talking quietly. Harry was nearly as furious as his girlfriend had been when she faced off against the same gangly redhead earlier. Harry stalked across the room and stood for a moment behind Ron, and took a deep breath. Then he spun Ron around and punched him square in the nose, knocking him to the floor. "Don't talk about either Ginny or I like that again," he said, and then reached down to help Ron to his feet.

"Harry!" gasped Hermione, then she moaned more practically, "I just got his nose to stop bleeding a second ago!"

"Why was his nose bleeding before?" asked Harry, finally hauling Ron up by his arms when the other boy didn't take the offered hand.

"Ginny hit him with a raw blast of magic and sent him flying into a wall," Hermione said, sighing, rather resigned to the violent ways Weasleys tended to deal with each other. "Now you've gone and made him bleed again. I think he should probably go to the hospital wing this time."

"Oh," said Harry, "Ginny didn't mention when she told me what he said that she had already dealt with it."

"Will the pair of you stop discussing things for long enough to make sure I don't bleed to death?" wailed Ron, holding his shirt to his nose in an effort to stop the bleeding.

"Sorry," said Harry briskly, turning to his best friend and assessing the damage he and Ginny had done.

"For hitting me or keeping me waiting?" asked Ron a bit thickly as more blood streamed from his nose.

"Ron," said Harry, "What would you have done if I said something like that about Ginny or Hermione?"

"Er," said Ron, at this point just trying for the answer that would speed things along enough that he could get to the hospital before he fainted.

"You would have hit me," Harry answered for him, crossing the room to open the door for Ron and Hermione and following them out into the hallway and off to the hospital wing. "And I might have been mad, but I hope I would have got the point that I went way over the line."

"Sorry," muttered Ron, who had given up trying to stop the blood with his shirt and was now leaning rather heavily on Hermione's shoulders. She began to stagger from his weight and, when he finally noticed, Harry doubled back to put an arm under Ron's shoulder and took the bulk of his weight off Hermione's shoulders. She sighed in relief and turned her attention to trying to mop up Ron's face as the walked. Ron winced as she tried to stop the flow of blood, which was slowing of its own accord at any rate, so Hermione busied herself with banishing the blood as it dripped from his face.

"Er, Hermione," Harry said as the three made their awkward way down the hall, "Why don't you go find Ginny and tell her what's happened?"

"Sure," Hermione said, grateful to have a task to complete. Both boys were greatly relieved to see the witch go so that she was no longer hovering over them.

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"So you put my brother in the hospital wing," Ginny whispered in Harry's ear, "Now, that's love."

"Sure is," he replied, turning to kiss Ginny's cheek before flopping down at the bed again. It had been a terribly long day, and all Harry wanted now was to go to sleep. There were, after all, classes to face in the morning. "Besides, Ron thanked me. He doesn't have an essay to hand into Slughorn tomorrow, so he's just as glad to have an excuse to skip his first class."

"Knowing Ron, he'll find a reason to cut all his classes tomorrow," Ginny said with a grin, laying down next to Harry and turning on her side to look at him.

"Nah, he won't get away with it. Hermione insists that we all go to every class for the next few days, if we want us to go in two days. She's furious I didn't tell her the schedule sooner," Harry replied, sighing as he settled more comfortably into the bed.

"I suppose that makes sense," Ginny sighed, "But there goes my dream of slipping off for another trip to Hogsmeade."

"That's okay, the last one didn't work out very well anyway," Harry said.

"Well," responded Ginny, resting her head on his shoulder, "That just means that the next one can't help but be better."

Harry laughed softly. "I love the way you look at things, Gin."

"And I just love you," she said, closing her eyes.

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The next days flew by for Ginny, who was trying to make sure she was as far ahead as she could get in her classes without raising suspicions. She was also trying to help Harry, Ron and Hermione as much as she could with their planning, but again, there wasn't nearly enough time to do so without alerting anyone to their plans. They all feared that it would not be so easy to leave this time because McGonagall was undoubtedly looking out for them to disappear.

They decided that the DA would be key. They planned to stage a mock battle throughout the halls, leaving their elite members as generals and slip away in the confusion. In preparation, the four shipped a huge amount of supplies from the twins' shop, all items meant to create confusion, which was a particular specialty of that pair of Weasleys.

After dinner on the night that their escape was planned for, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny set off four boxes of fireworks, several canisters of Peruvian Darkness and any number of other distracting agents and let loose the teams that had been set up. The school had been divided in half and further divided into forty groups of ten people. Everyone had been assigned to their teams the day before, and told to use the full body bind curse to stop opponents and then sprinkle them with some of the dye that Fred and George had invented. It lasted for twenty-four hours and came in an eye-smarting yellow and a violent shade of pink. The team with the most unmarked players at the end won, but Hermione, Harry, Ginny and Ron would obviously not be around for that.

"Ready?" asked Harry, and when the other three who stood in the Entrance hall with him nodded he went on to say, "Go!"

All at once, they began to set off the spells that would start the various joke items off in random places throughout the school, including the whole box of fire works that they had asked the house-elves to slip under the staff table. The whole school rushed from the Great Hall not long after, and pandemonium ensued. Students ran every which way, trying to avoid fireworks, spells and sprays. Teachers had retired to their rooms, as they had been requested to, and so no one saw the four who were supposed to be in charge slide towards the doors and slip away into the night.

Once outside the Hogwarts' gates, Ginny turned to Harry and asked him in hushed tones, "This is really it, isn't it? I'm going with you, aren't I?"

"You bet, babe," Harry replied with a giddy grin, grabbing one of the packs that Ron passed him and throwing it on his back.

As everyone took up his or her burdens, Ginny burst out laughing from sheer exuberance. "We've really done it now!" she cried, clutching at Harry's arm and they all settled themselves and prepared to flee.

"Not yet we haven't," Hermione said with amusement, "We're not even out of the shadow of the castle yet."

But before long, they had blinked out of existence, and then they really had done it then.


	27. Chapter 27: Travel and Talk of Tents

**A/N: Okay, I cannot begin to tell you how unbelievably excited I am for such a long over due chapter as this one!!!!!!!!! I hope you all really enjoy it! Please consider going back and re-reading chapter 22 because a lot of changes were made to that one, including the insertion of a whole new scene or two!!! Please enjoy the chapter and sorry it took so long!**

**This chapter is dedicated to anyone and everyone who waited patiently for the update!**

**Chapter Twenty-seven**

**Travel and Tent Talks**

The four students only Apparated as far as the small village outside the school, where they stopped in a small cave on the outskirts to disguise themselves before summoning the Knight bus and riding off, the moon and stars lighting the sky. The bus was unusually crowded, mostly because witches and wizards felt when travelling in groups with danger lurking so close in the shadows, so the four teenagers could only procure two of the beds that lined the walls. Ron and Hermione took one with a purple comforter across and three beds down from Harry and Ginny. Ron watched as his younger sister laid her newly black head down on Harry's shoulder and went to sleep. Harry wrapped one arm around her as he used his other hand to push back his messy blonde curls, staring out the window at the countryside that fled past his window.

"What do you think is going on between them?" asked Ron, whose hair was a slightly more orange colour and who now wore square blue glasses.

"Don't worry about them, Ron," Hermione instructed, braiding her blonde curls into a tightly snaking coil. Ron suspected that she knew more than he did, but didn't want to tell him what.

"What aren't you telling me? Are they dating? Did they tell you and not me?" he asked in rapid fire, hoping against hope that that would cause Hermione to give something up without meaning to.

Hermione finished braiding, dug a book from her pack before replying. "They never said a word to me," she told Ron, flipping the pages of her novel.

"But you do think something is going on, don't you?" pressed Ron.

"No… I don't really think anything's going on," Hermione mussed, sighing as she put down her book in recognition of the fact that Ron wasn't giving up the conversation any time soon, "But I think Harry wishes there were. I think he's lonely, and I think he misses having Ginny as his girlfriend."

"I don't know… they seem pretty cozy all the time," Ron said, "Look at them right now."

Harry had gone from staring out the window to watching Ginny sleep in his arms. The look in his eyes was some sad mix of love, pain and regret that Ron couldn't really read, and didn't even notice until Hermione pointed it out. "See how Harry looks at her?" she asked her boyfriend, emotion welling inside her.

"Yeah…" said Ron, feeling a bit uncomfortable with watching the pair at all, let alone witnessing such a look.

"Harry loves her, and he obviously regrets something, most likely their break up. It's probably torture for him, being so near her and yet not really having her. Harry is her best friend, but he wants to be more, and yet he doesn't think it would be fair to let himself accept her love." Hermione nearly had tears in her eyes as she described her friend's dilemma, and when Harry gently and lovingly kissed the sleeping girl's forehead, she had to look away.

"You can tell all that just from looking at them?" asked Ron in awe.

"Can't you?" asked Hermione, tears still sparkling in her eyes.

With a soul deep sigh, Harry stopped forcing himself to go over their plans in his mind and allowed his thoughts to wander where they really wanted to dwell. Ginny had snuggled herself up against him as she did every night when they went to sleep, and had barely stirred since they had settled into the bed, not even waking when the Ernie's wild driving set them sliding into the people next to them. With her hair died black, her skin seemed even paler than usual, and her few freckles stood out more. Harry's heart squeezed as he took in the innocent picture she made, resting with her head on his chest.

The seed of doubt that Ron's ugly accusations had planted began to sprout, and Harry began to wonder again if he had made the right choices as far as Ginny was concerned. Why had he suddenly felt that it was nearly vital that Ginny come with them? Maybe it really was only because he didn't want to be separated from the person he loved most in the world. Was there anything really wrong with that?

No, there wasn't. As long as no one got hurt because of that decision. Which brought Harry back to wondering if he had only brought Ginny along because of who she was to him.

If that were true, than he may have endangered them all be bringing her along. Could he really be confident that Ginny would be able to take care of herself, or even that he'd be willing to let her if it came down to it? If this were a colossal mistake on his part, a lot of people might have to pay the price. Maybe Harry should just send Ginny home…

But then, it wasn't really fair to send her home after promising to let her come along. Yet was being fair to Ginny more important than being certain that innocent people wouldn't die because he was distracted worrying about her? Or was he just worrying about nothing?

At that moment, Ginny sighed and snuggled closer to him and Harry's heart melted a little. It was hard to reconcile the trusting being slumbering in his embrace to the angry witch who had flown at her brother two days before. Yet Ginny had done that, and she had proven that she could hold her own in a fight…

No, all Harry had to do was trust that he had made the right decision, and trust Ginny, which he did.

With that, Harry dropped a kiss on Ginny's forehead and closed his eyes.

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Harry watched his three travelling companions walk away from him with a mild feeling of apprehension. When they had planned everything out, they had counted on Diagon Alley being far more crowded than it currently was at 6 am on a Wednesday morning. Sure, there were a few shoppers about, but that only made it more likely someone would notice them than if the whole place was packed. At the last second, Harry grabbed Ginny by the elbow and pulled her back towards him. "On second thought, let's not risk someone spotting underage magic, or maybe Ginny splinching herself," Harry smiled a bit apologetically at Ginny, but didn't let go of her elbow.

"That would take a load off my mind," Hermione said eagerly. "Gin, you just side-along with Harry, alright?"

"I suppose," agreed Ginny, hoping that this wasn't a sign of things to come. She wouldn't have agreed to come on this trip had she thought the other three would baby her any more than the usual, barely tolerable amount.

"It's settled than," Ron said a bit sleepily. He was really wishing that they were still asleep in the muggle hotel room that they had rented to change their disguises in. He ran his fingers through his newly brown hair, longer than even his brother Bill's. Part of him wished that his mum could see him now, but more of him wished that she could see Ginny, providing Ron wasn't actually near by at the time. All of Ginny's long red locks had been cropped and were now more pink than anything else. Her attire was also an unfamiliar sight, her short skirt and tight top perfectly visible beneath the deep purple robes that she had left open.

Hermione was wearing an outfit at the opposite end of extreme. Her lumpy grey cloak concealed her whole frame and her mousy brown-blonde hair was stuffed in a scraggily ponytail. Harry had left his hair blonde, but Hermione and Ginny had used some magic to straighten out the curls so that the lank locks flopped across his forehead. His cloak was a sedate blue, which looked out of place when Ginny stood close to him, but that wouldn't matter for long. They drifted three separate ways along the alley, and one by one Disapparated away.

They reappeared outside a small village where they hoped to find the last Horcrux that they needed to destroy before going after Voldemort himself. The four shed their disguises, counting on the lack of human habitation in the area to protect their identities at that point. With little discussion, the four began walking. They didn't want to Apparate too close to the town in case a muggle resident spotted them, so they had a good hour's travel still ahead of them. They planned to camp on the outskirts of the village for the rest of the day and over night and go after the Horcrux the next morning. With an incredible amount of luck, Harry hoped that they could be back at school in roughly one week.

He wasn't very optimistic because they had far fewer clues to go on this time around. All they knew was that the Horcrux was called the 'bone' and that it was located in a place called the 'tomb of Slytherin'. That last bit was less helpful than Harry had first thought it would be because the founder's finial resting place was unknown and hundreds of places had claimed to house the bones of the Hogwarts famous four. Finally, after a lot of painstaking work on the part of Hermione, they had located this small, picturesque village in the middle of nowhere from which Slytherin had supposedly originated. Harry was the one who stumbled on a short passage about the tomb of the village's 'most famous son' that was located in the town's centre, but the famous son was never mentioned by name. Hermione was sure that that meant he had to be famous, but that the residents did not want their ancestor to be known. Ron thought that the little village didn't have a famous ancestor but was trying to make out that it did. L

Harry had secretly thought that Ron was just as likely to be right about this one, but he had none the less pinned his hopes of finding the 'bone' on this pretty little mountain village. What Harry really worried about was what this Horcrux would turn out to be. The phrase, 'the bone' brought nothing but disturbing images to his mind…

"Harry," began Ron, who was just coming awake at that point, "We only have two tents."

"Er, yeah," Harry said, thinking that as much as he didn't want to be separated from Ginny, he really, really didn't want to have to listen to Ron's snoring. He glanced at the girl who was just out of hearing range, setting up one of the two tents that they had.

"So I suppose it's you and me, Hermione and Ginny," Ron said with a sigh.

"Er, Ron," Hermione said, pulling her boyfriend aside, "Let me talk to you for a moment."

"What?" asked Ron after taking barely half a step away from Harry.

"Well," said Hermione, "I would really rather share a tent with you."

"But we only have two, so if we took one, then that would mean that either Harry or Ginny would have to sleep outside," Ron said, "And that's hardly fair."

"They could both sleep in the other tent," Hermione said, knowing that it would take a phenomenal amount of persuasion to convince Ron to leave the other pair alone in a tent all night.

"No," he said adamantly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Don't you trust me with your sister?" asked Harry in an injured way, "You know Ginny and I are just friends."

"No, I don't know that!" Ron responded, swinging to face Harry.

"Yes you do! We've told you so a ridiculous number of times," Harry responded, just on the edge of annoyance. "Why can't you believe what we tell you?"

"Because no matter how many times you say you aren't anything more than friends, you two still spend hours alone together, and still act as though you're dating," Ron told Harry, "It's not really that I don't believe you, I just think you're lying to yourselves."

"Ron," Harry said with gritted teeth, "I refuse to allow anything to happen to Ginny. Would I endanger her life just so that I could date her?"

"I don't know. You tell me," Ron retorted. "If you look me in the eye and swear that nothing is going on between you and my sister, then I promise to never again ask you or talk about it. Can you do that Harry?"

'_Can I?' _wondered Harry before he steeled himself and looked into the eyes of his oldest friend. "Nothing is going on between me and your sister," he lied.

All was silent for a moment, then Ron nodded his head, "Alright, mate," he said, "I believe you. I'll even agree to let you share a tent."

"How generous of you, considering that you will now be forced to sleep with your beautiful girlfriend," Harry muttered, going off to help Ginny in the epic struggle she was waging to set up the muggle tents.

"These things make no sense," Ginny told Harry with a dark scowl. "They're miniscule from the outside and possibly even smaller inside!"

"Muggle innovations sometimes work that way," Harry agreed.

"What's more, they are damn near impossible to set up," She complained, bending the pole of the dust coloured tent in the wrong direction and nearly snapping it. "Why don't you help me finish setting up this tent and then I'll help you do the other one?"

"Let's leave Ron and Hermione to set up their own tent. I'll help you with ours," Harry suggested, grabbing the pole that fell from Ginny's hands.

"How on earth did you manage that, Harry Potter?" she nearly squealed, attracting a reproving stare from her brother, who was on the far side of the clearing.

"You have to ask? I'm the great Harry Potter," said Harry with a grin, "I can do anything."

"Of course you can, dear," Ginny said with a snort, "Anything but set up one of these ridiculous tents."

"Well, everyone has to have one weakness," Harry said, struggling to make the tent take shape.

"I suppose we should all be glad yours happens to lie in the area of tent pitching rather than world saving," commented Ginny as she rather unsuccessfully attempted to help Harry.


	28. Chapter 28: Horcrux

**A/N: New chapter, darlings! Sorry that there was a bit of a delay!**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Horcrux**

As the four walked towards the small village that was nestled at the base of two steep green hills, a shiver passed through the group. It was nearly noon, and yet the whole place seemed deserted. The little houses with their thatched roofs were dark and silent and no one stirred on the rutted dirt streets. There was one small café, but from a distance it was impossible to say whether it was open or not. Indeed, only a grungy sign out front that bore the word 'Café' in peeling paint even distinguished the place from the homes that surrounded it. Harry looked about nervously as they came into the centre of the town, hoping to catch sight of a friendly face, or at least some sign of life from the village. Instead he spotted a tall stone building that stood towering over the little huts that made up the rest of the town. He frowned, wondering why he hadn't noticed the building as he was coming into the village.

"That's where it's got to be," Ron said in a hushed voice, "The last Horcrux. We've got it."

"Not yet we don't," Harry countered, a sense of apprehension rolling over the others with his words. Harry obviously expected trouble, and he was eying the magnificent white stone building as though it was likely to provide it.

"What do we do now?" asked Ginny, who had the mad desire to storm the building quickly, wands at the ready, like some spy in a lame muggle novel.

"We go into that café and see what the locals will tell us," Harry told her, briefly sneaking his hand to hold hers for a moment, hoping neither of the others would notice. He was glad he brought Ginny along because her presence set him at ease like nothing else did. Standing with her so close, holding her hand like he was, Harry felt he could most definitely conquer the evils of the world.

"Let's go, then," Hermione said impatiently. She walked off in front of the other three, leading them towards the wooden door that hung slightly crooked in it's frame. There was a small window to the right of the door that housed a white sign with neat black letters that proclaimed the shop open. Harry had to wonder how many customers the place had in such a deserted little village.

He sighed, dropped Ginny's hand and followed Hermione to the door. They we're getting so close now, that he could almost taste success.

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From the depths of a dark green hood, the person at the farthest table from the door watched four newcomers slide into the restaurant. Their dress proclaimed that they were foreign to the little mountain town where the watcher had lain in wait for so many years. Maybe now was finally the time, maybe one of these strangers was the long awaited person that the watcher had spent so much time hoping for…

Or maybe these four were merely a handful of lost tourists, though they looked a bit young for that.

At that moment, the curly haired girl who had led the other three in sat down at one of the small grimy circular tables that crowded in front of the small, grimy bar that took up one end of the small grimy room. They four sat down and looked around, probably in hopes of seeing a waitress. The watcher wished them luck, knowing that the only one in this place was the owner, and she was in the back at that moment, counting her life savings, which amounted to a depressingly small handful of coin. But that didn't matter in the village. No one had much, but if someone needed something, it was taken care of. The only reason the owner even bothered to count the money was to prove to herself that that really was all that was there.

Such things used to make the watcher sad, but time had numbed that emotion. Well, time and something else at any rate.

The four still hadn't noticed the watcher, but that was to be expected. No one in this village ever noticed the watcher, though the watcher always noticed them. The watcher peered into the soul of every person who was ever in the village for as much as a moment, hoping to find the long awaited one. So far, a little less than twenty years had gone by and the watcher hadn't left the outskirts of the village, and the awaited one hadn't appeared, at least as far as the watcher could tell. But maybe one of these four was the one that the watcher was looking for…

Then suddenly, for the first time in years, the watcher caught a pair of eyes.

The bright green eyes widened in sudden surprise, as if they're owner had just suddenly seen the watcher appear from out of nowhere. The boy they were attached to did not move an inch, but his face did register mild surprise. One of the girls with him was still looking about for the waitress, but the other girl, the one with the bright red hair, spun to follow the boy's gaze. Her eyes slide over the watcher unseeingly and she shot a questioning look at her friend. He shook his head and nodded to the bar owner who had finally come to answer the other girl's summons.

For almost twenty years the watcher had been invisible to all, but now one boy seemed immune to that comforting protection. That could only mean that the awaited one was finally sitting before the watcher. So many years had passed, and now it was nearly at an end, now the watcher would be able to do what was needed, achieve the ultimate task. This could be it.

The watcher began to sweat.

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As Hermione attempted to order something that at least sounded edible from the reserved and impatient waitress, Harry kept sliding looks towards the strange-cloaked person in the corner. He was almost certain the room had been entirely empty when they had come in, though he had felt the strange sensation of eyes on his back…

Maybe he was being paranoid. After all, it definitely felt to surreal to walk into a café across from the tomb that almost certainly contained the finial Horcrux and calmly try to order breakfast. Maybe it was the eerie emptiness of the surrounding village playing tricks on him. There were many possibilities, and most assumed that the stranger in the corner had always been there, so Harry accepted that and tried to stop watching the figure. The person was so still that Harry was certain he would have plenty of warning if the person decided to move.

Finally, Hermione had settled on ordering them four bowls of what the waitress referred to as 'stew', and they prepared to wait for their orders with little hope that the meal would be better than any of the ones they'd managed to cobble together over the flames on their last trip.

Harry's eyes darted back to the stranger, and Ginny once again followed his gaze. She shot him another puzzled look, on that Ron and Hermione noticed this time. "What do you keep looking at?" asked Ginny in a low whisper.

"At the person back there in the green cloak," Harry replied quietly, "Don't all look at once, though."

"Look at what, Harry?" Ron asked reluctantly.

"The person in the back," Harry said again.

"There's no one back there," Hermione said quietly after staring in the general direction that Harry had indicated.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Harry impatiently, "Can't you see the person sitting there at the back with there hood pulled up?"

Suddenly, the other three could see the cloaked stranger.

"What's going on here?" demanded Hermione in a whisper.

"How should I know?" Harry retorted as the silent waitress came back and dropped four bowls of watery stew on the table. He smiled tightly at her and nodded his thanks as she left.

Ron dug right into the stew and wolfed down half of it before Hermione even worked up the courage to taste hers. Ginny took a bite, looking thoughtfully over at the only other person in sight. "Harry, let's go sit over with the person in the back."

"Alright," agreed Harry, how was curious about the stranger. Ron gulped the rest of his stew, and then stood to follow Harry and Ginny, who had taken their food with them. Hermione stood as well, and Ron offered to carry her bowl for her.

They had just caught up with the others in time to hear Ginny say, "Thanks for letting us sit with you. It must be lonely in here on your own."

The stranger nodded briefly, face still hidden by the hood of the dirty green cloak.

"What's your name?" asked Ginny politely.

The stranger seemed to be considering this simple question much more than was warranted. Ginny let the silence swell for another beat before she could no longer stand it. "I'm Ginny Weasley, that's my brother Ron and these are our friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

The stranger again appeared to be thinking very carefully before speaking. "What brings you to this place, Ginny Weasley?" asked a soft voice.

"We were wondering if this really was the hometown of a man called Salazar Slytherin," Ginny boldly stated. "We've come here especially hoping that we might find his tomb here."

"Salazar Slytherin," repeated the stranger, as though rolling the name around in their mouth. "You must have come here seeking more than that."

"So, is this the town where he was born? Is that his tomb just outside here?" asked Ron eagerly.

"Yes," was the simple reply, "Now, I've answered your question, you must answer mine. What is it you seek in this place of Slytherin's birth?"

"We seek…" Hermione trailed off, looking to Harry to decide what information to reveal.

"We seek the Horcrux of Slytherin's heir," Harry said bluntly.

"Than you, Awaited One, seek in the right place," replied the stranger. Harry's heart beat faster. This stranger clearly knew something that could help them! "But be warned, the price of that Horcrux may be very high indeed."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"I mean that other's who have tried to retrieve the Horcrux have lost something so precious to them that they did not survive."

"How do you know?" asked Ron, "Who are you?"

"I know this because it happened to me," said the stranger, "To me and to the one I loved. My name is Niobe Black."

As she said this, the stranger threw back the hood of her cloak and revealed a pretty, pale face surrounded by scads of thick, coal-black hair. Her blue-violet eyes were fringed with dark lashes and her pale skin had an almost luminous quality. But none of this was what caught Harry's attention. "Black?" he asked Niobe sharply.

"Yes," she said, seeming a bit suspicious, "Niobe Black."

"Are you related to Sirius Black?" asked Hermione, leaning forward, great interest shinning in her eyes.

"Sirius? Yes…" Niobe said slowly, "We are related by marriage."

"How closely are you related?" asked Ron, who knew that nearly every pure blood was related to every other pure blood. Really, this woman could be Sirius's tenth cousin, twice removed.

"He's my brother-in-law," said Niobe simply, looking like she was not quite sure how they had gotten to this point in the conversation.

"You're married to Regulus?" asked incredulously, remembering the branch on the Black family tree that was closest to Sirius's charred hole. There had been no mention of the former death-eater having a wife…

"Yes," Niobe replied, eyes filling with pain, "I was married to Regulus."

"Is he alive?" asked Hermione, a bit tactlessly.

"No, he died many years ago," Niobe whispered, tears falling down her cheeks now.

No one said anything until Ginny took Niobe's hand and asked, "What happened?" in hushed, sympathetic tones.

"He died in the very place which you seek," Niobe began, "Trying to capture Voldemort's Horcrux. We had been married little more than a year at the time, and I had yet to even meet any of his friends or family. I suppose that was because he was living such a dangerous life, doing such dangerous things to try to weaken Voldemort. He didn't have anyone who knew what he was doing, no one he could introduce me to. I'm not even certain Regulus would have risked allowing Voldemort's attention to fall on me, just so that those he was close to -if there were any such people- could meet me."

"Did he think that Voldemort would come after you if he knew you two were married?" asked Harry, willing himself to not look at Ginny as he said it.

"Yes, Regulus was sure of it," Niobe said, "You see, he had just destroyed the only Horcrux he knew about when we met. He had planned to go into hiding, but had then found out that Voldemort had more than one Horcrux. He was shocked to find that out, and made his way to the closest bar. I worked there, and late one night, I heard him muttering to himself about Voldemort and the Horcruxes and sounding beside himself and half mad. I dragged him out of the bar and took him back to my home, where he recovered from the horrid shock. When he was well, he prepared to set out again to finish the job he had started, and I was heart-broken. We had fallen in love, and so, when he asked it, I agreed to run away with him. We married shortly after that, and began the journey that eventually led us to this terrible place, and to the temple just outside." Niobe's cheeks were slick and shinny with tears, her eyes far away, but her voice was firm as she told them her tale. Ginny had not dropped Niobe's hand, but Harry had taken Ginny's other hand in his, under the table. Ron had wrapped his arm around Hermione, who was leaning into him, a stricken expression on her face.

"I remember Regulus laughing as he read the inscription on the door, saying how like Voldemort it was to try to scare anyone off even before they were inside the place. I wish so badly now that he had taken the warning seriously!" Niobe's voice broke, and she took a minute to gather herself. "It said, '_Only the Awaited One may seek beyond these doors and not lose what he loves most_'. As Regulus read it out, I felt cold all through, and I was suddenly sure that he was not the Awaited One and that if we went in, nothing good would come of it. I could not convince him to stay away, though. So into the temple we went. We were quickly separated, and for along time, I was trapped in absolute darkness, terrified beyond all belief. After a very long while, a cruel voice whispered in my ear that Regulus had sacrificed himself that I might be let to go free. I ran, sobbing from the temple and have been waiting in this place ever since, ready to offer whatever I can to help the Awaited One to vanquish he how took my Regulus from me."

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Harry looked at the cruel warning on the doors of the temple, dearly hoping that he wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of his life. He had the horrible feeling that what had happened to Niobe was about to happen to Ginny, but Harry knew he would not be able to convince her to stay behind. There was nothing for it but to open the doors, march in there, keep as tight a hold on her hand as he could and hope that Ron and Hermione didn't notice.

Harry took a deep breath and tugged the heavy wooden doors towards him. They swung open slowly, and Harry stepped through into the semi-gloom beyond. He reached back and pulled Ginny in behind him, and she grabbed Hermione's hand as she went in. Ron linked hands with his girlfriend just as the door swung heavily shut. The first thing Harry noticed was curious hissing whispers that filled the whole one room temple. After their eyes adjusted to the lack of light, all four saw a sarcophagus at the far side of the temple, surround by horrible statues of men with the heads of enormous serpents. Straight before them was a sort of wooden bridge that crossed a shallow pit. Harry led his friends cautiously towards the other end of the chamber, moving carefully in the eerily lit space. Suddenly Harry stopped moving.

The whispers had resolved them into clearer words, and Harry now saw that there source was the thousands of snakes that littered the bottom of the pit below the bridge. Harry's flesh crawled as the snakes talked to each other of the strange presence they could sense nearing the edge of their home. He pushed back his fear and made to step out onto the bridge, still tugging Ginny along behind him.

"Harry, wait!" cried Hermione before he had even set foot on the bridge.

"What?" he asked impatiently, not taking his eyes from the undulating mass of snakes so close below them.

"That hardly looks strong enough to support one of us, let alone the lot of us walking out together," Hermione pointed out with a worried frown etched into the lines of her face.

"I don't think we should get separated…" Harry began slowly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry," Hermione said, "We can hardly get lost in this place. We can see the whole of it from here. It makes a lot more sense to go across one and a time, so that we actually stand some chance of making it to the other side!"

"Hermione's right," Ron said carefully. "We won't all make it over if we try to go at once."

"Fine," Harry finally agreed, looking at the slightly rotten wooden planks, "But I go first, and no one else crosses until I say so."

"Fine," agreed Hermione and Ron. Ginny pulled Harry into a brief hug, and then he took his first delicate step out onto the bridge. It wobbled, but held. Harry was halfway across when there came a disturbing cracking noise. Harry abandoned caution and hurried to the other side, grateful when his feet hit firm ground. He turned back to the others, who all looked greatly relieved that he was still alive.

"Alright," said Harry, "I don't think that bridge will hold up much longer. You lot had best stay over there, and I'll grab the Horcrux and get back to you."

"Are you certain?" asked Hermione, nervously. Though the threat of breaking bridges dropping into pits of snakes was terrifying, it seemed almost to simple to be all that was guarding the last Horcrux.

"Yes," Harry barked in his firm leader's voice, before turning to make his way to the sarcophagus. It was carved of black stone into the shape of a robed wizard with a long beard and an evil expression on his face. Harry stared down at it, wondering if he would have to open the coffin, when he noticed that the amulet that was dangling from a carved string around Slytherin's carved neck, was not actually made of the same stone as the rest of the monument.

Harry reached down and pulled the intricately carved amulet away from the coffin. It was shaped as a tightly coiled snake, and was made of what was unmistakable bone. It shone, tinted faintly green by the light that came from nowhere discernible in the temple. The carved rubies that served it as eyes glittered menacingly, but Harry was certain that it could not hurt him. He made his way slowly back towards the plank that crossed the snake pit, feeling the most difficult part of the task so far would be crossing the bridge back to safety.

Harry had just made it to the plank when a voice called out behind him. "Niobe!" moaned the figure that had appeared by the sarcophagus.

Harry turned to face him and asked quietly, "Regulus?"

"Where is Niobe? We are both stuck here until my love gains the courage to return to this place!" screeched the tall figure with long black hair.

"Niobe is waiting outside the temple! She thinks that you're dead," Hermione called to the man who was unmistakably Regulus Black.

"My love has not abandoned me here?" he asked desperately, "She did not leave me to rot and flee to find happiness elsewhere?"

"No," Hermione assured him, "I'll go tell her that you're here and that she needs to come back for you!"

Hermione whipped towards the exit at top speed, and Harry caught Ron's eyes and gestured that he should go with her. They had barely walked through the door when Harry started to cross the bridge back to Ginny. He hadn't taken more than a step when a sudden darkness overtook them. "Ginny!" Harry cried right away, to no response.

"You must sacrifice yourself if you want to see her alive again," whispered a voice in his ear, "It is the only way."

Harry spun, trying to locate the source of the voice, but when he couldn't, he yelled into the darkness that surrounded him, "I'll do it! Just let her be safe!"

"So be it, boy who lived, awaited one," hissed the voice, "Her life for yours!"

Harry looked about him warily. Nothing seemed to have changed, though the eerie light seemed to have returned to the temple. Ginny was standing on the other side of the bridge, and Harry rushed towards her, not noticing that his feet made no sound on the bridge below him. "Ginny!" he cried, but she didn't seem to hear him.

"Harry? What happened? Where are you, Harry?" she called, looking around her, trying to spot her lover.

"I'm here," Harry said reassuringly, reaching for Ginny, but he couldn't seem to get to her.

"Leave now," hissed the same voice that had told Harry he would have to sacrifice himself to save Ginny. "If you do not leave now, you shall be trapped here forever!"

"Where's Harry? I can't leave without him!" cried Ginny, on the verge of hysteria.

"He has made his choice," the voice hissed evilly, "He will remain!"

"Harry wouldn't want to stay here! Where is he? Harry! Harry!" Tears ran down Ginny's cheeks now, as she spun around looking for Harry. He remained frozen half way across the bridge, unable to move towards Ginny.

"He chose to remain here so that you might leave! He vowed to sacrifice himself for you, the foolish boy," hissed the voice mockingly, "You will never see him again!"

"NO!" wailed Ginny in utter disbelief, "That can't be true! I won't _let _it be true! I'll…I'll sacrifice my self for him in return!"

"What?" hissed the voice, sounding close to surprise. The invisible force that kept Harry in place squeezed him more tightly, until he could barely breath.

"I sacrifice myself for Harry, you have to let him go free," Ginny said, pulling herself up tall.

The whole room seemed to quiver for a moment. Then the force that was holding on to Harry expelled him with great force. As he went tumbling to the ground at Ginny's feet, the force flickered into sight, the massive coals of an enormous black snake becoming visible. Harry struggled to his feet and was just able to knock Ginny out of the way as the giant serpent lunged for her throat, in pure rage over losing both its victims. Before Ginny fully recovered from having the breath knocked from her, Harry was pushing her towards the exit. The burst into the bright sunlight that lit the deserted streets in time to see Ron, Hermione and Niobe coming towards them from the restaurant where they had eaten that morning.

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Niobe stood staring at the doors that would lead her back into the temple where both the love of her life and a great dirty snake bent on keeping him awaited her. She looked over her shoulder at the four young people who were even now walking away from the village forever. Now that they had gone, Niobe knew that she could no longer stand to be away from Regulus, no matter if she had to forever be with him in this cold, mouldering tomb, in the company of thousands of snakes. It no longer mattered to her that she would never meet his family, nor see her own again. Niobe knew that all that would ever matter is that she tried as hard as she could to get back to the love of her life, and to stay forever in his arms.

So into the temple she went.

**-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-**

Late the same night that they destroyed Voldemort's last Horcrux, Ginny woke from a horrible dream in which darkness surrounded her and spoke to her in the hissing tongue of a giant serpent. She came to consciousness with a scream almost on her lips, shuddering, sweating and whimpering. She reached for Harry and experienced the deepest panic she had ever felt when she did not immediately find him. She struggled to sit up and look around, but her blankets seemed tangled and determined to trap her. Her long hair flopped in her eyes as she struggled with the covers, so it was a moment before Harry could calm her when he was awoken by her struggles.

"Shh, darling, its alright," Harry murmured, smoothing back Ginny's hair and pulling her close.

"Harry," Ginny whimpered desperately, falling into his arms, "I dreamed that the snake took you and wouldn't give you back! Then I woke up and you weren't there, and I panicked. The blankets got so tangled…"

"That's because you're in a sleeping bag," Harry told her with a grin.

"Well, they're stupid things if you ask me," Ginny retorted. "I want to feel close to you!"

"Here, we'll pull your bag right up against mine, and we'll pretend that we're in the same one, snuggled together like any other night," Harry offered, rearranging them in the small tent.

"I love you," Ginny murmured, teetering on the verge of sleep, still holding Harry's hand tightly in her own, her bright red head resting on his shoulder.

"I love you, too, Gin," Harry told her in reply, a smile on his lips as he fell away into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	29. Chapter 29: Found

**Chapter Twenty-nine**

**Found**

"Harry!" hissed Ron furiously the morning after they had finally destroyed the last Horcrux. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping," muttered the teen indistinctly as he burrowed deeper under the covers, pulling the person at his side even closer to him, inhaling her flowery scent.

"Hermione!" moaned Ron, not leaving the doorway of Harry's tent, much to his friend's annoyance. Soon Hermione was looking in at Harry as well, and he felt that he would soon be forced to get up, as much as it pained him to even think of such a thing.

"Oh dear," said Hermione, "I think you had better get up."

Harry was about to demand why Hermione thought he should do such a thing when there was no way that they could make it back to school that day, anyway. He sat up so that he could face her when he told her off, but was distracted when he found her staring nervously at Ron, how looked all but livid. Harry looked about him, and suddenly realised that the pair of them had discovered him sleeping with Ginny in his arms. This was bad.

This was very, very bad.

Harry wanted to start denying that anything had happened at all, (which would be the truth, since he hadn't actually slept with Ginny the previous night), but he thought that that might make him appear a tad guilty. Instead he carefully shifted Ginny out of arms, praying that she would keep on sleeping and wishing, for once, that she would cling to him so much in her sleep. It took him a good two minutes to get Ginny properly settled while Ron and Hermione watched silently. Harry then went to stand, but remembered that he was wearing only boxers, and a rather threadbare pair at that. He weighed the benefits of staying in his sleeping bag against the likelihood that Ron would yell at him and wake up Ginny, how would likely just snuggle closer to him, like she did most mornings after the alarm woke them. That would make Ron yell even more, something that Harry was keen to avoid.

"Is there something you need?" he asked in a quiet voice that he hoped Ron would copy.

"Yeah!" Ron said in a furious whisper, "I need to know why you're naked in bed next to my baby sister!"

"Hey!" cried Harry, "I'm not naked! And Ginny is in her own sleeping bag, not mine."

"Doesn't seem to matter," Ron hissed.

"Look, why don't we move this discussion somewhere else? I don't want to wake Ginny, she didn't get a lot of sleep last night," said Harry. Ron seemed to think his friend was implying something else, and so shot him a smouldering look before abruptly turning and stalking off. Harry quickly scrambled into his jeans and was trying to remember where his t-shirt was when there was a loud bang from the clearing and he decided to forget it. Harry hurried out of the tent to find Ron nursing the foot that he had apparently used to try and dislodge one of the boulders surrounding their campfire.

"Ron, you're blowing this all way out of proportion," Harry said calmly. "Ginny woke up three times from horrible nightmares last night, and she had a lot of trouble getting back to sleep."

"Yeah," gasped Ron furiously, clearly not interested in what Harry had to say at this point. He stalked off into the trees, and Hermione hurried after him, Harry trailing behind her, not entirely sure what to say. Maybe he should just come clean with the pair of them, after all, this was hardly the first time they had nearly guessed that there was still something going on between Harry and Ginny. But no, Ron would be absolutely furious if he found out that Harry had looked him in the eyes and lied to him just two days ago when Ron had asked what was going on between the pair.

Besides, Ginny really should have some say in whether or not they told her own brother about their relationship.

Harry called himself a coward, but he none the less decided to try to disguise the truth if it were at all possible.

"Ron!" called Harry after jogging even farther into the trees to catch up with his friend. "Listen, Ron, it's not at all what you think! Ginny woke up moaning and scared three times last night. I could hardly just tell her to count sheep and hope that she could catch some sleep after she forgot about what happened in the temple. I had to calm her down!"

Ron remained stonily silent, but Hermione spoke up. "Harry, I believe you that it was totally innocent, but can you appreciate how bad it looked?"

"Why?" asked Harry with a frustrated sigh, "We were in separate sleeping bags, and we both had clothes on."

"Well," Hermione said, trying to beat down a bit of a blush, "You couldn't tell that you had anything on, and the straps of Ginny's tank top were covered by her hair, and the sleeping bags are the same colour, so it _looked _like maybe things weren't so…um, innocent…"

"Fine, whatever," Harry said hastily when Hermione trailed off, "Ron," Harry went on, turning to face the redhead, "I love your sister, I really do, but I swear to you I didn't sleep with her," _last night_, Harry added silently.

Ron sighed, "Harry, I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. It's just, she's my baby sister, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, trying to smother his guilt over Ron's acceptance of his lies, "But I'm your best friend."

Harry felt like a slug, especially when Ron reached over and squeezed his shoulder with an apologetic smile.

**-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-**

Ginny awoke as someone raised her hands above her head and pinned her wrists above her head. She smiled without opening her eyes and arched her hips up towards the boy above her. Ginny froze when a frosty voice met her ears.

"Slutty little blood-traitor, aren't you?" sneered the person who had Ginny pinned down. She slowly opened her eyes. Colour drained from her face and terror entered her when she recognised Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked him, trying to sound disdainful and ignore the subtle pain in her wrists.

"Arousing you, apparently," he sneered, grinning evilly, "Though I only meant to sneak in here and wait for Potter to get back so I can take him to the Dark Lord. I didn't know that you were in here. How long have you been sleeping with him?"

"Harry's just my friend!" snapped Ginny, trying to free her arms and wiggle out from under the weight of his body.

"Then why are you sharing a tent with him?" asked Malfoy patronisingly, he weight keeping Ginny effectively trapped under him.

"Hermione and my brother spend half their time snogging mindlessly. They begged Harry to share a tent with me so that they could continue on uninterrupted," Ginny lied boldly, still attempting to free herself from Malfoy's clutches. Her breath was coming in gasps now, but Ginny didn't care, because all that mattered was getting away from the git.

Suddenly, Ginny remember that her wand was stashed under the pile of clothes that were heaped above the pillows. She had to get to it, but she couldn't let Malfoy realise what she was about…

Ginny continued struggling, but this time trying to work her way slowly upwards. When one of her hands hit a pair of jeans, Ginny began to try to kick every part of the older teen that she could, hoping to keep his mind off what her hands were doing. After an intense moment's struggle, Malfoy managed to shift so Ginny couldn't move her legs anymore and his eyes snapped to hers in triumph. Ginny was chilled by the look, and she momentarily froze in her attempts to escape. Then there came a noise at the tent's entrance that drew the attention of both Malfoy and Ginny. Suspicion in his eyes, Malfoy sat up, pulling Ginny with him. Ginny took advantage of the distraction to point her wand at Malfoy in the exact moment as the person at the tent flap burst in and aimed their wand at Ginny's opponent as well.

"Stupefy!" cried Harry and Ginny at the same moment, and Draco Malfoy succumbed to their spells, falling in a heap back on top of Ginny's legs. Harry strode over to her and kicked Malfoy out of the way to pull her up onto her feet. For a moment they looked into each other's eyes, then Harry pulled Ginny tight to him for a moment, letting go just as Ron and Hermione pulled open the tent flap to peer in at them.

"You alright, Gin?" asked Ron anxiously.

"Yeah," she responded, crawling out of the tent.

"Had we known they were so close, we never would have gone off when you were still asleep," Hermione said apologetically.

Ginny looked around the clearing and spotted Crabbe and Goyle in a heap beside their campfire, bound by thick ropes and apparently unconscious. "Malfoy still totes along those two thugs, I see," Ginny commented, fighting the bile that rose in her throat as she thought of the jerk that was collapsed in her tent.

"What do we do with them?" asked Hermione as she waved her wand and bound Malfoy as well.

"How strong a memory charm can you do?" asked Harry.

In the end, Hermione performed three memory charms, and Ron, Harry and Ginny between them managed to concoct a potion that would induce a long lasting enchanted slumber. They dumped the three thugs outside the village, with the vague feeling that someone would probably find them and look after them eventually.

"Are we for home, then?" asked Ron as they hastily packed their things after disposing of their attackers.

"Well," Harry said hesitantly, "I'm not certain we should risk anyone coming after us again, but I thought that we might take our time on the way back to school."

"Let's time it so our entrance is even better than the last one!" suggested Ron excitedly.

"I don't really know if anyone could manage a better entrance then that," Ginny responded, remembering the night that the three before her had burst into the Great Hall during dinner, cloaks billowing and looking extremely mature and impressive.

"Well, we can try, can't we?" asked Ron with a grin.

"I don't know if we want to go too over the top," Harry said with a frown, "McGonagall has been exceedingly understanding, and I don't really want to push her too far."

"I guess you're right," Ron agreed with a disappointed sigh. He had been picturing swooping onto the grounds on broom amidst firecrackers and cheering students.

So, after stretching travel to last the rest of that day and part of the next, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny arrived at Hogwarts' gates just before lunch.

"What do you think? Do we want to make our entrance for lunch or dinner?" asked Harry, looking up at the school.

"Dinner," said Ron, "I don't really want to go to potions this afternoon."

"Okay," Ginny agreed, not minding missing Defence Against the Dark Arts, "But can we eat soon?"

"Let's go down to the Three Broomsticks," suggested Hermione, not even giving Ron a disapproving look for wanting to skive off lessons.

The four teens ambled down to the village, looking forward to a leisurely afternoon before they returned to school that night. Hermione glanced down at her watch and then looked up at the others. "Are you sure you want to eat right now?" she asked, "It's only 11:30, we wouldn't normally be eating for another half hour."

"I'm hungry now," Ron said, looking around at Harry and Ginny for support.

"How you three manage to eat all you do…" Hermione muttered shaking her head.

Harry couldn't help it; he had to laugh at that. Ginny joined him immediately, and soon Ron and Hermione were laughing right along with them. They entered the bar, still engulfed in the bubble of happiness that had come upon them so suddenly. They made their way over to a table in the back and ordered a big lunch from the man behind the bar. They sat consuming it leisurely, laughing, joking and talking, as they hadn't in the longest time. They were so consumed with their own conversation that they didn't even notice when, forty-five minutes after they had first come in, the bar's door opened again. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny didn't even realise that the person who had entered the bar was standing right behind them until he spoke up.

"Look at the four of you, just sitting there, laughing it up!" he hissed.

"Bill?" exclaimed Ginny in utter shock while Ron, who was beside her chocked on a mouthful of butter beer. Hermione went very white, but Harry managed to meet Bill's eyes calmly.

"What the hell do the four of you think you're doing?" the oldest Weasley brother nearly screeched. "Have you any idea how long we've been looking for you?"

"Well," Harry began when no one else answered, "I'd guess about four days, maybe a bit less."

Bill looked ready to hit someone. "Mum's been bouncing off the walls ever since McGonagall told her you'd pulled a disappearing act!"

"What did McGonagall tell mum for?" asked Ron in mild outrage, "She didn't last time!"

"Last time?" asked Bill dangerously.

"Er," said Ron.

"You mean that the four of you have run away from school before now?" cried Bill, "And McGonagall didn't tell Mum?"

"Well," began Ron.

"Nope, the four of us have only ran away once," said Harry, trying to appear cool and having remarkable success with it.

"Harry," admonished Hermione, who thought it rather pointless to lie at this point.

"Ginny wasn't along with us last time, so it was really only the three of us," Harry said, "Which is probably why McGonagall chose to keep quiet last time and not this time around."

"Maybe she's just mad that we didn't stick around to clean up after the mock-battle," Ginny suggested, following Harry's example and putting up a calm front.

"I never took her for a particularly vindictive person," argued Harry.

"Maybe she just realised that she couldn't run her school without her Head Boys and Girls," suggested Hermione, catching on to Harry and Ginny's game plan and attempting to affect the same cool appearance.

Bill and Ron were now little more than silent observers of this conversations, the former because he was dumbfounded by the sudden return of the missing four and the latter because he was worrying about what he was going to say to his mum when he next saw her. Ron knew that this would somehow all come down to his fault in his mother's eyes. He should have convinced Harry not to go, he shouldn't have let his sister tag along… The list his mother would have for him would likely go on all night.

"What do you reckon, Ron?" asked Ginny after a good five minutes debate about what had motivated McGonagall's actions when she had informed Mrs Weasley on them.

"I reckon that the only thing that really matters now is telling Bill what sort of flowers he should send to our funerals," moaned Ron, "Mum is going to kill us all!"

"Well, Harry and I already discussed this at length, and there is simply no way that I can die before I go to his funeral, no matter who wants to murder me," Ginny told her brother, "I have to say nice things about him and then confess to the world at large that we have had a secret affair of epically romantic proportions."

"And I promised Ginny that I would say nice things at her funeral, and then confess that I too had been part of the aforementioned secret affair," Harry told him, "So I simply can't die before she does, or even at the same time as her."

"How exactly to you both plan to be at one and other's funerals?" asked Hermione, who was mildly interested. Knowing the strange things these two thought up, they probably had some sort of plan to get around that roadblock.

"Well," began Ginny, "Harry is going to fake his own death in a few months, and I shall have my turn to confess everything, and then, just as I am about to dramatically plunge a dagger into my own heart, Harry will awaken and admit that the funeral was all a clever ruse designed to lure Voldemort into a false sense of security and to get a lot of lovely floral bouquets, like the splendid one that Bill plans to send. Harry will get his turn to say nice things and confess our affair when I die in a tragic cleaning accident at the age of forty-three."

"Maybe you should both fake your deaths now, so mum is too upset to bother murdering Hermione and I," suggested Ron, "You'd be doing us a great favour."

"I don't know," began Harry, "We had a timeline all worked out for this, and I'm not sure I want to be put off schedule…"

"Not even to save your best friends' lives?" asked Hermione melodramatically.

"Enough!" growled Bill, "It's time you four got back up to the castle!"

"We've got to settle the bill, Bill," said Ginny, smiling angelically at her brother.

"Get on with it, then," he grated out, watching Ginny and Harry go up in the direction of the counter.

Hermione, Ron and Bill waited twenty minutes in tense silence for the other pair to return. "Don't suppose they've run off, do you?" asked Ron eventually.

"They wouldn't do that!" exclaimed Hermione. "Would they?"

"You tell me," Bill said, sounding dangerously frustrated.

"Maybe we had best go check," Ron suggested a bit nervously.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny had settled the bill and then been promptly waylaid by the Weasley twins, who had rushed into the bar just as the other pair had made to return to their friends.

"Harry!" cried Fred.

"Ginny!" cried George.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," Fred said.

"Mum's in a right state, and so is McGonagall," continued George.

"We had some urgent business to conduct," said Harry airily.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" asked George suddenly.

"Or did the pair of you give them the slip so you could go elope, or something?" asked Fred suspiciously.

"Nah," said Ginny, "It was the other way around."

"Yeah," said Harry, "Ron and Hermione left school the other night with plans to run away and get married. We've been trying to track them down ever since."

"Planning to try to stop them?" asked Fred sarcastically.

"No, of course not," said Ginny, "We just know that they will need witnesses for the ceremony to be legal, so we thought we'd volunteer."

"Look," said George, "No one appreciates the need to skip lessons more than we do-"

"But you need to realise that there's a certain line," Fred went on.

"And disappearing from school for four days crosses that line," finished George.

"Alright then," said Harry, "I hadn't realised that. We'd best go gather our things from the table, Gin."

"I suppose you two will want to come along and escort us up to the school?" Ginny asked the twins.

Both nodded firmly. "No way are we going to have to tell mum that the pair of you gave us the slip," said George grimly.

The four walked back towards the table where Ginny and Harry had left Ron, Hermione and Bill, only to be met half way by the other group. Ron tossed Harry and Ginny they're jackets and Hermione passed them their packs. Ginny stepped forward to hug both Ron and Hermione enthusiastically. "Why there you two are!" she cried. "I'm so excited for you!"

Harry stepped forward and solemnly shook Ron's hand and kissed Hermione's cheek, "Congratulations, you two. I hope you'll be very happy together."

"Er, yeah, I'm sure we will be, Harry," said Ron before he turned to the twins, clearly deciding to ignore Harry and Ginny's odd behaviour as usual, "What are you two doing here?"

"Making sure the four of you get back up to school so mum will get off our backs," answered George. Fred was shaking his head at Harry and Ginny, clearly under the impression that the pair had lost their sanity entirely.


	30. Chapter 30: Consequential Promises

**Chapter Thirty**

**Consequential Promises**

As Harry and his friends were lead out of the Three Broomsticks by Bill, Fred and George Weasley, Harry called himself seven kinds of idiot. He knew he should be grateful that the Weasleys had come upon them unawares instead of a group of Death Eaters, but it still really rankled to have Ginny's brothers lead him up to school like a misbehaving child. Harry was doing important things, and the other three were helping! How could McGonagall have not respected the secrecy that was required to successfully complete his task? How could Bill lead the way up to the school, lecturing them about responsibility as he was? Harry was taking on responsibility for the well being of the entire wizarding community, wasn't he? Few people had any right to lecture him about responsibility, or really anything else.

The problem with that line of thought, though, was it made it difficult for Harry to consider any options they had, or to formulate some sort of plan. So, with a finial silent curse, Harry closed his mind on that anger and resentment. He knew that Ron, Hermione, Ginny and himself could easily escape the Weasleys because they had practised for such situations, and because the three brothers were hardly the most wary of guards. Yet, what purpose would it serve to run away? It would feel damn good to shut up Bill Weasley, who at the moment was lecturing them just like Mrs Weasley did when her children pulled some stupid stunt. While the eldest Weasley might just be concerned for their safety, it would serve no one well if Harry got so fed up with him that he took a swing at him. Particularly since Harry didn't fancy his chances against the older man in a fistfight.

Escaping would perhaps finally convince the Weasleys that the four could look out for themselves. That in itself would be a relief.

"You four just wait until mum gets a hold of you! Especially you, Ginny, she's really mad you went with them!" Bill seemed to be running a bit out of steam with his lecture, but those last comments upset Harry quite a bit more than all his blabber about them lacking responsibility. Ginny was hardly a baby, what right did anyone have to say she shouldn't have gone with them?

_Hypocrite_, whispered a voice in his mind. _You're just feeling badly because you couldn't decide if you did the right thing by taking her along!_

Harry hastily pushed aside the thought. He needed to think about more important things, and most of all he needed space and a moment's peace to plan things with the other three. So there was nothing for it but to duck away from their guards. A moment's thought, and Harry knew the best of their plans for escaping to use. He sidled up to Ginny, who was walking next to him, George on Harry's other side, Fred on Ginny's. Harry grasped his girlfriend's hand covertly and then caught her eye for the briefest moment. He looked down at their interlaced fingers, and then up at Hermione's back and then into Ginny's eyes again. She gave the tiniest shade of a nod. Ginny understood.

As Bill was yammering on about what a state Mrs Weasley was in, Harry squeezed Ginny's hand and then darted forward to seize Ron's shoulder, still clinging to Ginny, who had grabbed Hermione. Fred yelled "Oi!" before they had a chance to Disapparate, causing Bill to swing around to face them from the position he had taken at the front of their group, and George to lunge for the four of them.

Harry didn't think, he just made them disappear. Like the one other time he had suddenly made himself leave one spot and go to another, it wasn't really apparition, because it didn't conform to the rules of that mode of transportation. All Harry did was think desperately that they had to get away, and suddenly they were away. All four of them were suddenly standing, clinging to each other, in the cave where Sirius had hidden when he came back to town during Harry's fourth year to advise him about the triwizard tournament.

"What the hell was that?" asked Ron, who was quite shaken up and very white as he looked about them at stonewalls and very old rat skeletons.

"Don't really know, but it was as convenient this time as it was the other time it happened," commented Harry briefly, eager to talk about what they were to do next.

"The other time?" asked Hermione, how looked utterly perplexed by what had just occurred.

"Er, Ginny and I were cornered…" Harry began, trying to think of a lie quickly and drawing a complete blank.

"By Harmony and her friends. They had spent the whole day chasing down poor Harry, and he was at his wits end when I came upon him. I was just convincing him that jumping out the window was not a wise career move when we heard the four of them coming down the hall towards us. Harry just grabbed me and suddenly we were up in the common room. It was beyond weird." Ginny lied ably, fixing those details firmly in her mind in the same place where she kept the information she had made up about Sarah and Robert.

"This really isn't the time to wonder about this, we have to figure out what we're going to do," Harry broke in as Hermione showed signs of asking questions.

"Well, what can we do, really?" asked Ron, "There's nothing for it but to go back to school now. If we stay away longer, it'll look like we're just sulking about being caught. Besides, mum would be furious if we did."

"Don't you think it would look bad if Harry, who the whole school currently views as their hero, the one who will save us all, is dragged back to school by the ear by our brothers?" asked Ginny a bit scathingly.

"It would look bad," admitted Ron, "But what are our choices? If we don't get up their soon, then McGonagall will cut us off before we can make a good entrance and the whole school will be talking about how Harry Potter got in trouble with the Headmistress."

"I think that we should surrender ourselves to your brothers, and let them march us straight up to the school. They'll probably take us right to McGonagall, who will be eating in the Great Hall right now, so we can make a show of it for the school. We'll make it obvious that the only reason that they were able to catch us is because we let them. We'll come off looking very powerful and in charge that way," suggested Hermione.

"I like it," said Harry simply, aware that this would take a great deal of acting on his part. "What do you think?" he asked Ron and Ginny.

"Sounds good," Ginny said with approval in her voice.

"Sounds brilliant," said Ron enthusiastically.

**-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-**

Bill, Fred and George stare about in shock. Their four captives had gotten away so suddenly and without any warning, and the three Weasleys could hardly believe it. Finally, Bill voiced what they were all thinking. "What do you suppose they'll do next?"

"Forget that," began George.

"Think of what mum will say," finished Fred with a gulp.

None of them spoke for the longest time, until George broke a silence that was filled with imaginary scolding from their mother. "Still, that was bloody brilliant, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, the way that Harry got them all away even though they couldn't possibly have talked about it!" enthused Fred. The twins had enough experience with Mrs Weasley's scolding to know that there was little point in worrying about it until you were face to face with it. Only then could you cut her off fast enough to hope to avoid hours of yelling.

"That lot really do make an impressive exit," commented George.

"Thank you," said an amused voice from behind them. The three Weasleys started and then lunged to seize their four former captives. Bill got hold of Harry, and between the twins, Ginny, Hermione and Ron were held onto tightly as well.

"By all means, keep hold of us," Harry offered with an amused smile, "But I do assure you that we'll come quietly."

Bill said nothing in reply. He was fighting a certain admiration for Harry that was growing inside him. Sure, he'd thought the boy was a fairly impressive person ever since he had met him, but in the last little while, by all accounts, Harry had started to sound very old and wise. Harry hadn't seemed that way when Bill came upon him in the Three Broomsticks with the others, but now he held himself differently and surveyed his captive friends with a certain amusement written on his features. Harry sure had changed from the quiet boy he had met three years before…

No one really spoke as Fred, George, and Bill escorted the others up to the castle, though Harry did whistle merrily to himself from time to time. Ron, Hermione and Ginny strode tall and cool, though the twins gripped their arms tightly against possible escape. And so the strange party made its way through the Entrance Hall and right into the Great Hall where the school was eating lunch, just as Hermione had predicted.

"Mum!" shouted Fred instantly, searching first the Gryffindor table, then the staff table for her.

"You've brought them back," commented McGonagall, her mouth very thin, worry in her eyes as the seven stopped before the staff table. McGonagall hurried to meet them as she continued, "You're mother is in the chamber off this hall, waiting for news."

No one spoke after that for a moment. All eyes had turned to Harry, who was calmly looking about him with a bored sort of expression on his face. "Perhaps you should go tell her that we're back, Bill, and that we will be in to see her as soon as we can," Harry suggested. Bill took a step away from the boy whose arm he still clutched, without even meaning to obey. Harry just looked at him until he did as he was bid.

"Now, we've gone along quietly with your little search party, professor, and we have returned them to you in safe and whole. I would like to respectfully request that you never send another person after me when I leave this school again. I wouldn't ask it, but I just can't guarantee that they would come out of the places I go, and I really can't have Ron and Ginny losing brothers on my account. We do not need to be followed, we know what we are doing," he said, "Frankly, I'm a little hurt that you would worry Mrs Weasley over something like this."

"Potter, I had to tell her that two of her children had run away from school!" cried McGonagall indignantly.

"We didn't run away," said Ginny haughtily as Ron glared with anger in his eyes, pulling himself up even taller, if possible.

"Ginny is right, Professor. We did not run away, but then," said Harry, "I should scarcely need to tell you that after the conversation we had last time."

McGonagall stiffened at Harry's last, whispered words, trying very hard not to blush. Potter should know that she wasn't trying to interfere, but when the two young Weasleys had disappeared, she had felt it her duty as an educator and as a member of the Order of the Phoenix to tell their mother that they had gone.

"Now, to business," said Harry, clapping his hands together. "Fred. George. Release my friends, please." The orders were so sharp that the twins obeyed without thinking and had nearly backed away a step before they glanced uncertainly at their former prisoners. Were they planning to escape again?

The twin's fears were immediately relieved, as the three they had released seemed not to even notice that they'd been let go of. Hermione and Ron both stood just as straight and tall with impassive faces as they had when the twins had had a hold on them, and Ginny looked almost unbearably bored. Harry didn't look around to see if he had been obeyed, but issued more orders. "Fred, George, I would be very grateful if you could fetch your mother and Bill. We will be in great need of privacy," Harry said, finally glancing around at the twins, hoping that they would understand and take Mrs Weasley and Bill to the Room of Requirement. "I trust that you can find a place, as you always did when hiding from those who would enforce the school rules."

There was a look of dawning understanding in Fred's eyes that was almost instantly mirrored in his twin. "Right," said George, "We're on our way."

"Yes, sir, Harry, sir," said Fred as he and his twin mockingly saluted Harry. The younger boy fought valiantly against blushing and managed to look only amused by the Weasleys' antics. As they went to fetch the required two from the room off the Great Hall, a great wave of sound erupted over the hall, "YOU LET THEM GET AWAY FROM YOU AGAIN?" screeched Mrs Weasley indignantly. Bill's assertion that he had gotten them back again was nearly lost in her continued yells.

Ron just barely managed to not cower with fear when he heard how upset his mother was likely to be, and Ginny's eyes betrayed her guilt when Harry glanced in her direction, but the students and staff seemed to be too distracted to notice what those up front were doing. After the twins went in, silence reigned for long moments. Just before the door opened again, Harry had the foresight to gesture for his friends to move out of view of the small party now exiting the Hall. Only when they were gone did Harry turn back to McGonagall.

"Professor," he said in a very businesslike way, "I would like to request that I meet with you later to discuss punishment for my friends and myself, as it is abundantly clear that Mrs Weasley needs us to comfort her worries at the moment. I'd be grateful if we could have your permission to miss the first class after lunch today. If you'll recall, Hermione, Ron and myself have Transfiguration with you, and I believe Ginny has Defence Against the Dark Arts. She is top in that class, so I am certain Professor Brookes would not make a fuss," At this, Harry turned his sharp green eyes on the DADA teacher, who nodded briefly, not looking at the Headmistress. "I would like to spend time making sure that Mrs Weasley has been entirely reassured as to her children's health." Not waiting for any response, Harry strode back through the Great Hall, oblivious to the whispers and stare of his fellow students and twitched to fingers behind him to signal that his companions were to follow. They did so, and the four made an impressive sight, striding determinedly away from the head table.

**-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-**

By the time the four had put two floors between themselves and the Great Hall, Harry was trembling with reaction. He had hated standing up in front of the whole school, over-ridding McGonagall and ordering people about. He felt bad for how sharp he had been with the Weasley brothers, particularly the twins, who he had always liked the best of Ron and Ginny's brothers. Harry was forced to stop for a moment to collect himself before facing Mrs Weasley, but that was fine because he felt they should go over the plan in a bit more detail where the redheaded mother was concerned. She would be more difficult to fool, if only because he was already feeling guilty over lying to her about his relationship with Ginny.

"How you holding up?" asked Hermione kindly. She knew that Harry had to go to a lot of effort to make himself appear commanding and in charge. He did all right when teaching the DA, but otherwise Harry did not feel comfortable in a leadership position.

"I'm fine," he said, breathing deeply. "Look, I think that we'll have to make a lot of concessions, or at least appear to, if we want to come out of this thing alright."

"What sort?" asked Ginny, wondering if they were going to stop being Head Students or agree to be followed by a staff member at all times. Both would seriously cut into the time she and Harry spent along, particularly if they were forced to give up their private rooms.

"I don't know," Harry said, "We'll have to judge what will appease them once we talk to them."

"Well, I think we'll have to have one of us do all the talking. We won't look very united or collected if we have to conference about everything," Ron pointed out, looking right at Harry.

"Feel up to it?" asked Hermione, concern evident in her voice. Harry still looked rather pale, and much younger than he had in front of McGonagall.

"Yeah," Harry said with a weary sigh, evidently already exhausted by his display in the Great Hall.

"Poor Harry," Ginny murmured, "You really hate acting bossy, don't you?" She went to press a kiss to Harry's mouth, but at the last minute turned her head to catch his cheek, remembering who stood with them. Ron and Hermione looked a little startled, but Harry just looked as awkward as he would if any other girl had kissed his cheek, so they soon forgot the incident.

"So," said Harry, "I'll do all the talking again and you three will just stand about looking impassive?"

"I don't know if we should use that tact with mum," Ginny said with a slight frown.

"Gin's right," Hermione said promptly. "Mrs Weasley won't buy it. Besides, she might respond better if we look really contrite."

"Let's go with that then," Harry agreed, then sighed before going on, "Well… no use putting this off."

The four had reached the Room of Requirement and knocked on the door. Bill yanked it open instantly, looking rather relieved to see them. Mrs Weasley looked angrier than Harry had ever seen her, but she wasn't yelling for the moment, so he decided to press the scant advantage he had. "Mrs Weasley, I'm so sorry for worrying you," Harry said, looking pitiful and utterly wretched.

Mrs Weasley thawed a little, at least as far and the raven-haired youth was concerned. She still seemed to be plenty angry with her two children. "Well," she began, taken a bit aback by the sudden apology. "That's not really the point, Harry, dear! I was worried!"

"Mum, you didn't have to worry!" Ron said, forgetting that he had agreed to let Harry do the talking, "Why did McGonagall even bother calling you in? We came back all right last time."

"This isn't the first time you ran away from school?" asked Mrs Weasley sharply. Harry silently cursed Ron six ways from Sunday, knowing that it would be hard enough to sooth the woman without Ron making it more difficult.

Ron suddenly seemed to remember that he was supposed to be silent while Harry acted as spokesman. On the upside, he and the others were no longer faking their looks of guilt, so there was no way she would detect fraud and so disbelieve their promises to be good. "We did, but we had good reason," Hermione attempted weakly, "And Ginny didn't go with us that time."

Mrs Weasley swelled with anger, but before she could get one word out, Harry had turned to her, his eyes tortured. "Mrs Weasley, please don't blame them! I shouldn't have let any of them come, but I- I needed them with me, all right? I couldn't have done what needed to be done without them. I should have made them stay behind, but I was too weak to do it! I couldn't bear to face these things on my own. I was selfish, so you should really only be angry with me," Harry seemed utterly tortured, but managed to cut over Mrs Weasley every time she made to open her mouth. "If you can ever find it in your heart to forgive me, then I promise that I won't do it again. I won't risk their lives ever again. I should have known better than that from the start, but I was just too weak to do the right thing. I'm- I'm just so sorry."

Mrs Weasley didn't say anything; she just threw her arms around Harry in a bone-crushing hug. But what hurt more than her embrace was the pain it caused Harry's conscience to know that she had believed him without question. He had become a flawless liar of late, but that didn't make him enjoy deceiving people. Harry just held onto Mrs Weasley looking carefully wretched and feeling even worse. "I'm really sorry about everything, Mrs Weasley," Harry mumbled, really meaning it now. "I promise I'll make as sure as I can that they all stay out of harms way."

"Oh, Harry," she said, "It's not only them that I'm worried about! I don't want anything to happen to you either."

"I know," he said quietly, "But eventually I will have to face him."

"But it doesn't have to be while you're still in school!" cried Mrs Weasley.

Harry considered for a moment what it would mean to put off the confrontation until the next summer. Voldemort seemed to be operating on a secretive scale still, not waging any mass attacks, despite the death of the one he most feared. No murders had been reported for months. Maybe it would be smart to not seek him out until he was done school, if he used the five months between now and then to prepare…

Suddenly he was decided. "Mrs Weasley, what if I were to promise you that I won't seek out Voldemort until the end of June?" he asked. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all tried their best not to look shocked, with marginal success. Bill and the twins stared at Harry, clearly unsure how to take what he had just said. Mrs Weasley broke out into fresh tears.


	31. Chapter 31: Beyond the Gaurding Gargoyle

A/N: To all who have already read this chapter! I only changed the words to the vow thingy at the end! I'll stick them in the author's note for the next chapter as well, just to make sure everyone's clear! That's all that will have changed, though!

**Chapter Thirty-one**

**Beyond the Guarding Gargoyle **

Harry felt as though he hadn't slept in weeks and he was quite certain that this had been the longest day in recorded history. As he led the six Weasleys and Hermione from the Room of Requirement, Harry wanted only one thing in the whole wide world. He wanted to fall into his bed, pull Ginny close and just go to sleep. But before he could make that particular dream come true, Harry had to face McGonagall and steamroll any real restrictions she tried to put on Ron, Hermione, Ginny and himself.

To that end, Harry knew that Mrs Weasley couldn't be allowed to witness that scene. He had only managed to make her see reason about his recent actions by playing the sad and lost little boy. Sure, he had also convinced her that he was determined to fight, but he didn't want the red haired mother to realize that he was capable of issuing orders that the Headmistress would follow. Harry and his friends would not be able to achieve anything with constant adult supervision. To remove that obstacle, Harry had to convince both formidable women that he was the one in control, but, most unfortunately, Mrs Weasley would not respond nearly as well as McGonagall did to Harry calmly taking charge, especially when two of her own children fell in line behind him instead of her.

Harry looked to Ginny, who was the first to have caught up to him. He glanced back at her family and then looked her in the eye again. She nodded slightly and Harry knew that she would take care of that aspect of things when the time came.

Now Ron and Hermione had come up beside him. He caught Hermione's eye and mouthed the word McGonagall and then jerked his head to the four who followed them still. Hermione smiled briefly and then stopped and turned to face their older shadows. Ron, Harry and Ginny kept walking for a moment, as though they didn't know that Hermione had fallen behind. They spun to face the others after a few steps and found everyone looking inquiringly at Hermione.

"Mrs Weasley, we have to go and meet McGonagall now. Harry promised her we would after she was nice enough to let us miss our next class to talk to you," Hermione began, "You can come with us if you like, but maybe you'd rather wait for us in our common room?"

"Yeah, we could give you the password if you like," Ron offered, "You'd be more comfortable there, and we could meet you for supper after McGonagall gives us detention for life."

"I think I'd best go with you to talk to Minerva," Mrs Weasley said with a bit of a frown.

When Ron may have protested that, Harry cut across him, "That's fine, Mrs Weasley. She might go easier on us if you're there, too." Harry knew that it wouldn't matter who was in the room, McGonagall would give in to what he wanted, but he also trusted Ginny to get rid of her mother when the time came, and without being as obvious as Ron and Hermione were being.

As soon as the thought was there, Harry felt bad that he was trying to 'get rid' of the motherly woman who had always treated him well. He quashed that thought, just as he did whenever he felt bad about lying to someone about dating Ginny. Sometimes the truth did not always pay off.

As Harry was mussing over how many lies he would actually have to confess about one day, the group reached the Gargoyle statue that guarded the Headmistresses office. He looked inquiringly at the barrier for a moment, wondering what the password would be. Harry doubted that McGonagall would choose the name of a sweet as Dumbledore had…

Ah, that was it.

"Dumbledore," Harry said quietly, and with absolute conviction. The entrance was obediently revealed and the eight visitors stepped onto the revolving staircase. When they reached it's top, Harry nodded to Ron, who was closest to the door, and he knocked.

"Enter," called McGonagall, who had clearly just arrived from her last class as it was.

Harry walked in, trailing companions, and nodded Mrs Weasley towards one of the two chairs before the desk. She took it and Harry turned to his friends. "Hermione," he said, knowing the witch would know what he was asking of her. She nodded regally, certain that McGonagall would see the gesture but Mrs Weasley wouldn't, and waved her wand, making six more chairs come into existence. With great effort, Hermione managed not to beam with pride over her success with the tricky bit of magic. Harry had warned them all to not let McGonagall see them as children just learning spells, and to that end they had spent a great deal of time practising spells that could be useful and look impressive to their headmistress.

Harry sat down in the front most chair next to Mrs Weasley, knowing that his friends would take the chairs immediately behind him, which they did. The other Weasleys sat behind Ron, Hermione and Ginny, nearest the door. They felt a little as if they were intruding, especially because Harry now seemed to be taking charge again. He hadn't asked them to leave, but still they felt as though they were somewhere they shouldn't be, strictly speaking.

"So, do I get an explanation this time?" asked McGonagall, looking at Harry. It was, however, Ginny who answered her.

"If they didn't tell you anything last time, what do you suppose has changed? The only thing that's happened between now and then is you brought in our mother," Ginny made her voice as icy as possible, "If anything, you should expect less of the truth because we now know that our secrets aren't safe with you."

"GINERVA!" cried Mrs Weasley, "You do not speak that way to anyone, let alone your headmistress!"

"I will speak as I wish to her, she betrayed Harry's confidences in her!" Ginny retorted, leaping up and spinning around to glare daggers at her mother.

"She had every right to tell me that you lot had run away!" screeched the indignant mother, not aware that her daughter was egging her on.

"She had no right to interfere in what she didn't understand!" retorted the redheaded teen venomously.

"Well, it's not her fault that no one understands, now is it?" the mother cried in frustration.

"Don't you dare blame this on Harry!" cried Ginny as her mother's eyes darted to the boy, "He only insists on secrecy because it's the best way to stop interference from uninvolved parties!"

"Uninvolved parties?" Mrs Weasley huffed out, "I'm your _mother_! There's no way I could be a more involved party!"

"Yeah, well, you might be my mother, but you're not Harry's, and you have no right to try to stop him from doing what he's doing!"

In the tense silence that followed that remark by Ginny, Harry caught Hermione's eye and nodded ever so slightly. She immediately spoke up. "Um, Ginny, Ron why don't you two go down to the kitchen's and have a cup of tea with your mum, I'm sure you could all use it."

"No," Harry said, "Ginny and Ron need to be here to talk to Professor McGonagall with us. Fred, George, Bill, you take your mother for tea."

Both Bill and Mrs Weasley looked as though they might object, but Harry caught the twins' eyes and they pulled the other two from the office. "Now, now, mustn't upset General Harry," scolded Fred lightly.

"Or else Ginny will hex us until next Christmas," finished George just as they disappeared down the stairs.

"Well," began Harry crisply, "Now that we have some peace, we may begin."

McGonagall didn't seem to know what to say for a moment. Unfortunately, that moment didn't last very long. "You four have tried my last nerve! What's the meaning of sneaking off like that? Do you know how much work it was to sort out that mock battle without you four?"

"Unfortunately, I had the feeling you would deem it necessary to restrict our travel if we informed you of our plans before hand," began Harry.

"Too right you are, Mr Potter!" cried the Headmistress of Hogwarts.

"So we created a distraction to provide the opportunity we needed to leave," continued Harry as though the professor had never spoken. "I am sorry for an inconvenience it caused you, but it was necessary to our mission. Now, I am willing to make a few concessions that should make the rest of the school year go more smoothly, but you must be willing to meet me half way. I promise that I will leave you always two Head Students, so long as you allow that any two of us might leave without first seeking approval, so long as we agree not to abuse that privilege. You must not call attention to any strange absences, unless one of the four of us comes to you and in return we will not flaunt the fact that you allow us such freedoms. Lastly, you must not discuss our actions with any outside parties, including any and all Weasleys or members of the Order. We will not stand for further interference."

McGonagall gave the boy before her a piercing stare for long moments. She was feeling, as she had felt before, that Harry was not the same boy who had come to Hogwarts six years ago. He had changed in some fundamental way, become somehow graver, though, as a first year, he hadn't exactly been carefree. He seemed to exude power and control now, more so now then when she had first asked him to return for the seventh year. There was little McGonagall could do but give into him, and strangely, she didn't even feel any misgivings about trusting his judgements at this point.

In a way, Harry reminded her of Dumbledore, but a darker Dumbledore than the professor had ever known. He had the older man's control and confidence, but lacked the twinkling eye or the benign amusement. Harry didn't exactly frighten the headmistress, but had she not known him at eleven, he might have done just that. At any rate, McGonagall could just recognise the good intentions behind the wall of secrecy, so she nodded curtly to him, lips pressed thin.

"Thank you," Harry said with a nod, "Now, it is time that we retired. Come, Ron, Hermione, Ginny."

And without another word, the seventeen-year-old student swept from his headmistress's office. All the way back to their rooms, Harry managed to keep up a strong front, but the moment he was back in the common room, Harry collapsed onto the nearest couch. Hermione and Ron sat down next to him, the former in the middle. She patted his hand gently as Harry closed his eyes and Ginny went to stand behind him a rub his shoulders.

Harry was glad that the meetings with the Weasleys and then McGonagall had gone well, but keeping up his act had been exhausting. Harry really couldn't imagine moving from his spot in front of the fire, even though he knew that Mrs Weasley, Bill, Fred and George were likely to come up from the kitchens at any moment. He was so comfortable and warm, and Ginny was now running his fingers through his hair in a very agreeable way…

Harry was asleep in moments, dead to the world, and not disturbed in the slightest by the quiet conversation being held just to his right. Harry didn't even notice when Mrs Weasley walked in trailing three of her sons.

"Now, isn't this a cozy scene!" declared George with a wicked smile, exchanging a look with his twin.

"Hush," Ginny admonished, "Harry's asleep!"

"Poor dear," clucked Mrs Weasley, "So worn out, but still convinced he's got to save the world!"

"That's because he does have to, mum," said Ron, with no real hope of convincing her.

"He's only seventeen!" she protested, bustling around to cover Harry in a blanket and take off his glasses, "He's too young to have to worry about anything but passing his NEWTs!"

"Unfortunately, Harry does have to worry about saving the world, as well," Hermione said firmly, "And there's no way I'll let him go through that alone!" As she spoke, Hermione went to stand squarely between Harry and Mrs Weasley.

"Nor will I," said Ron, coming to stand on Hermione's right.

"I'll do as much as he'll let me," Ginny said firmly, standing on Hermione's left and reaching out to squeeze her mother's shoulder, "And even more than that if I can manage to."

"I don't want to loose any of you," said Mrs Weasley looking tearful and defeated.

"You won't keep them by treating them like little kids," cautioned George from where he stood with his twin in front of the fire, on the fringe of the confrontation that was taking place.

"In fact, I'd say you'll just loose them faster," commented Fred.

"Can't I convince you not to do this?" begged Mrs Weasley, at least recognising that she couldn't forbid them from following Harry anywhere.

"You'd rather we leave Harry to do it all on his own?" asked Ginny scathingly. No one spoke for the longest time.

Then, to everyone's surprise, it was Bill who spoke, still in the far corner of the room. He had been watching from that vantage point while the scene unfolded. "You love him, don't you?" His words were almost not a question, and they were directed at Ginny, who certainly didn't have to ask her eldest brother who he meant.

Ginny was terrified. Was this the moment of truth? Had the time come to confess all? But if this was the moment of reckoning, how did you find the words to tell your mother and older brothers that you had been sleeping with your ex-boyfriend for a little over six months? Ginny searched, but came up empty. She told herself that she should really discuss something like this with Harry first.

"Harry is probably my best friend," Ginny began slowly, "But he broke up with me months and months ago in some misguided attempt to keep me safe. Like anyone could be safe now, but whatever. The really sad thing is, I expected him to do it, and I think that I would think less of him now if he had kept dating me when he thought it would be too dangerous for me and for all of you. Harry and I had our chance as a couple, now we'll have to make do with our secret affair." Ginny grinned impishly at all the serious faces watching her. Hermione groaned and Ron shook his head.

"You can't take anything seriously, can you?" asked Ron a bit ruefully.

"We're in the middle of a war. If I took things seriously, I'd be too depressed to fight," Ginny retorted, earning grins from the twins. "Besides, you have to admit that it's a lot more fun to think about what you're going to wear to the wedding of a bunny and a grasshopper than it is to sit contemplating the deaths of those you love."

That night, Harry and Ginny had fallen tiredly to their bed shortly after saying goodbye to the Weasleys and had gone immediately to sleep. Harry slept like the dead, but Ginny's dreams were very troubled, and she finally woke screaming around midnight. Tears streaked her face as she groped for Harry, becoming even more panicked when she could not immediately locate him. Then suddenly, Harry had pulled her to his chest and was shushing her gently, wiping away her tears.

"Oh, Harry, it was so horrible!" Ginny shuddered as tears wet his t-shirt, "I dreamt you were gone and I couldn't find you and you wouldn't come back, no matter what I said! I was so scared, I couldn't even breathe!"

"Oh, honey, you know I love you," Harry said with deep feeling, "I'd never leave you easily or stay away happily!"

"But you will go, eventually," said Ginny in a tiny voice.

"Not for a few months yet," replied Harry quietly, "I wouldn't go at all, but there's no other way."

"I understand, really I do," said Ginny "I don't like it, but I do understand. It's only that I feel like all the goods things that have happened between us are just a dream when we're apart. I feel like I have nothing of you to remind me that it's all been real, that we're real!"

Harry was quiet a moment, trying to think a way to help the way Ginny was feeling. Suddenly an idea occurred. He leapt up and rummaged about, looking for the silver dagger he used in potions class. As he returned to Ginny, he sliced open a long gash in his left palm, wincing as he did it.

"What are you doing?" cried Ginny in horror, gazing at the blood oozing from the open wound.

"Gin," he asked breathlessly, "Do you know what sort of magic is the oldest and most powerful?"

"You'd need Hermione to answer that," she said in annoyance, trying to pin down his hand so she could stop the bleeding. Harry shook her off gently and caught her eyes before going on.

"Blood magic," he answered, "Like the wards that keep me safe when I'm living in my aunt's house."

Ginny was quiet a moment, considering that. "Are you suggesting we perform some sort of ancient ceremonial rite or something?"

"No," said Harry, "I'm just offering to make you a promise."

Ginny bit her lip, then held out her palm. Harry opened a gash in her right hand and grabbed it with his own bleeding left hand. "I promise that I'll always love you and I'll always return to you, if I can. I'll always do my best to care for you and protect you," Harry promised earnestly, stumbling a bit over just what to say.

"I'll always love you, Harry James Potter," Ginny said simply, tears in her eyes, "You're the only one for me."

"There will never be anyone I love more than you, Ginerva Molly Weasley!" Harry promised feverently.

Then they collapsed onto their pillows, hands still joined. A long while later, Ginny spoke up quietly, not entirely sure if Harry was still awake. "Now we really are part of each other."

"You were always a part of me, Gin," Harry said sleepily, "But it does feel a bit more official now, doesn't it?"

Harry woke the next morning with a plan already forming in his mind. He had promised Mrs Weasley five months before he sought out Voldemort, and he did not want to waste a second of that time. Harry would train hard, and he would make sure that Ron and Hermione trained equally hard. They would all make meticulous plans and be very, very prepared to take on anything that the evil side could throw at them. Harry would also try to devise some way or other to protect the people that would be left behind.

With all that in mind, he slipped from his bed around dawn and pulled out a scroll of parchment, ink and a quill. He began making lists. Harry wrote down every thought he had about defending his friends, about spells they would need to learn, about what the other side might throw at them, about how he could gather information, about who he could trust and who he had to avoid. Harry wrote down everything that came to mind that could be useful. Before much time had passed, his page was full and the flow of ideas had slowed. Light was now pouring in the window, illuminating Ginny through the opening in the curtains. She had barely stirred, but her right hand was now dangling over the side of the bed, encrusted in dried blood. Harry looked down at the cut on his left palm, noticing that the wound had opened a bit at some point.

Harry was just beginning to think up a story to tell Madame Pomfrey so that she would heal their palms as he stepped in the shower. When he was finished, he went over to the bed and glanced at the clock. Ginny was so cute snuggled deep under the covers that Harry left her sleeping while he dressed and only reluctantly woke her when he was done. As she sat up blinking owlishly, Harry went and read over his notes in the chair by the window. "You really only have a few minutes before we should be down at breakfast," he said with a smile at the tousled beauty in his bed.

"It's still early," groaned Ginny, glaring balefully at the wall clock opposite the bed.

"Yes, but I think we should ask Madame Pomfrey to heal our hands before we eat. I cut a bit deeper than I really meant to," admitted Harry sheepishly, rolling up the long parchment that was now absolutely crammed with notes, plans and ideas.

"We can't go the nurse with two such unusual wounds, particularly not ones that match!" protested Ginny, "They're so clean cut and similar that they had to be done on purpose. It would be highly suspicious, and will probably set off all sorts of alarm bells for Pomfrey. Blood magic is generally considered to be far to advanced and dark for students, and we don't need people asking questions about us."

"Gin, you're going to have real trouble writing with that hand, or even using your wand," Harry said reasonably as Ginny pulled on her clothes.

"Don't worry about it, I'll manage," Ginny said, "We simply can't take it to Pomfrey."

"Well, why don't just you go and have your hand healed? Mine's on the left hand, so I won't have near as much trouble, and it will be less suspicious if it's only one cut hand," Harry counted as Ginny pulled her long hair back with a clip.

"No, Harry, the cut on it's own is too deliberate," Ginny said firmly, fishing out a shoe from under Harry's bed. "Madame Pomfrey will be on the look out for the littlest hints of dark magic in the school right now, so we can't risk it."

"It's not like it was really dark magic, or even magic!" protested Harry in exasperation.

"It doesn't matter, Harry! It's not like we could just tell anyone who asks questions not to worry about it, that it's just a couple of cuts we made in our hands while promising always to love each other!" Ginny said in frustration.

"Are you sure that you can manage? I re-opened my cut this morning already, and mine's not even on my right hand," Harry asked a bit worriedly.

"You worry way too much," Ginny told Harry with a smile, kissing his cheek and then turning to leave the room. Harry followed her, grinning ruefully. Harry was pretty sure that if he really worried too much then Ginny wouldn't have been able to convince him to date secretly way back in June. 


	32. Chapter 32: End of the Interlude

**A/N: **Just a brief note, I went back and tweaked a bit of the blood oath from the last chapter. Nothing major, I just added like a line. Sorry it's been forever! I just have eight more reviews to answer to be totally caught up on that front, though!

**Chapter Thirty-two**

**End of the Interlude**

A week into their new regime of training, Harry was nearly ready to quit. He was thinking longingly of taking an extended vacation somewhere tropical, naturally with Ginny. Perhaps they should hold off long enough to get advice on where to go from the plaid grasshopper and the orange bunny, who should probably soon be returning from their honeymoon…

Harry shook his head wearily. He was so tired that he was actually thinking about that horrible old joke. Harry suddenly found himself laughing quietly at the sheer ridiculousness of that.

"What's so funny, darling?" asked Ginny, glancing up from her DADA essay on jinxes. Ginny had been working on that essay stretched out on their bedroom floor at the foot of Harry's chair for a good half hour, and still Harry hadn't found any motivation to get up from where he had flopped down into this comfortable chair. He really should start his own homework…

"My life is what's so funny," Harry said, grinning a rather exhausted sort of way, too tired to care how stupid his thoughts were likely to sound once articulated, "But really it's more of a pathetic sort of funny."

"That's a horrible thing to say to your girlfriend," she admonished casually. "What if I were to think that I was the reason you find your life so pathetically amusing?"

"You're smarter than that, Ginny," Harry told her, feeling he rather owed her a complement or twelve after what he had just said.

"Okay, I'll bite," Ginny said, looking up from her book, "Why is your life so pathetically amusing?"

"Well, I was just sitting here contemplating what a stupid idea it is to get up at five o'clock every morning in order to practice defence in the room of requirement, and how nice a long vacation somewhere warm would be, and then I found myself wondering if the plaid grasshopper and the orange bunny enjoyed their honeymoon," Harry said with a sigh, snuggling even more firmly into his chair.

Ginny didn't say anything for the longest time, but, though mirth danced in her velvety eyes, no laughter escaped. "That really is a rather pathetic thing to be thinking about," she said sympathetically. "Perhaps I should do something to take your mind off bunnies."

"What have you got in mind?" asked Harry, hoping that this was leading where he thought it was. He suddenly didn't feel quite so tired…

"Exercise!" declared Ginny brightly, jumping up from the floor.

Harry groaned, thinking of the ghastly jogging he had been doing on the snowy grounds all that week. Ginny smiled at his reaction. "You've clearly got the wrong idea," she purred, sliding aside her books and standing just in front of Harry, undoing the topmost button of her blouse. Harry smiled up at her and pulled her free right hand to his lips.

Just then, most unfortunately, the door burst open. Harry jerked his head up, but didn't think to drop Ginny's hand. The girl stopped fiddling with her buttons and froze, feeling very caught out, yet intensely glad that whoever it was hadn't shown up even five minutes later.

"Hey Ron," Harry greeted, trying very hard not to sound guilty, "What's up?"

"I don't know," said Ron, looking from Harry to Ginny suspiciously, "I just thought I'd remind you two that you've got patrol duty this evening, and the Hermione and I've got the shift after you."

"Thanks," Ginny said, smiling pleasantly over her shoulder and wondering if it would look funny if she were to yank her hand away from Harry. Harry was also wondering if it would make him look guilty if he were to suddenly drop Ginny's hand. Ron was wondering why on earth Harry had a hold of his sister's hand. _I wonder what the bunny is wondering?_ Harry thought with a mental groan.

Amidst all that wondering, there was very little room for talking, and so an uncomfortable silence fell. However, that silence was not near so uncomfortable as the one that had fallen on numerous other occasions that Ron had randomly burst into a room where Harry and Ginny were. At least this time, everyone involved was wearing all their clothing, a thought that was a great comfort to Harry as he sat wondering about the protocol for hanging onto a secret girlfriend's hand in front of said girlfriends over-protective older brother. Finally, Ron had had enough.

"What are you doing with Ginny's hand?" asked Ron, not sure if he was suspicious or just tired of the weird happenings around the pair.

Harry looked down at the small hand he held as though for inspiration. Luckily enough, he caught sight of the angry red welt that was what remained a week after he had cut open Ginny's palm.

"Gin cut her hand the other day, and it keeps reopening. I wanted to make sure it's not infected," Harry said with a bit of a frown as he concentrated on the offending (healed over) wound.

"What did you do?" asked Ron in concern.

"I, uh, cut it," said Ginny lamely, "On my, um, trunk."

"Why didn't you just go to the hospital wing and have it healed straight away?" asked Ron reasonably.

"It didn't seem that bad at first," Ginny said with a shrug, pulling her hand away so she could examine what was rapidly becoming a scar.

"Did you say you needed us for something, Ron?" asked Harry, trying to fix it in his memory never to let Ron see his left palm and the scar he had that matched Ginny's.

"Er, yeah," Ron said, "Patrol duty. You two only have about five minutes before your shift starts."

"Right, well, I guess I'm going to have to finish my work in the library later," Harry said a bit awkwardly, gathering the books that he had been happily ignoring while Ginny studied. Ginny tossed her Defence essay into her bag, gathering up everything else that looked like it could be hers. Ginny nearly had a heart attack when she saw one of her bras sticking out from under the edge of the chair. She was fairly certain that Ron hadn't noticed it, but all the same, Ginny resolved to be more careful in the future. She would no longer leave her piles of clothes and books laying around on Harry's bedroom floor, she really wouldn't!

_Yeah, right_, thought Ginny sarcastically, _I have about zero capacity to be as neat as Harry is._

Not that anyone looking around Harry's bedroom at that moment would call him a tidy individual. Ginny nearly winced as she realized that that was probably her fault. Harry had compulsively picked up anything left on the floor in the first months they had been sharing this room, but he had apparently given up on that.

As Harry and Ginny scrambled about for bits of paper and quills, Ron looked around and seemed to notice the room for the first time. There were piles of dark robes, both clean and dirty everywhere, as well as a healthy smattering of crumpled papers, a few towers of books, as well as an owl cage covering the floor and most of the surfaces. The bed was a rumpled, unmade mess visible through curtains that hung partially open. The wardrobe where Harry (and Ginny, though Ron didn't know it) kept their clothes was open to reveal a hodgepodge of crumpled muggle and wizarding clothing. The mess seemed to have even spread to the walls. There posters of Ginny's favourite singers and Quidditch teams, mingled with wizarding photos of everyone from Harry's parents and their friends, to pictures of Harry, Ron and Hermione. In amongst the others, were a few of the photographs that Colin Creevey had taken over the years, some of which the boy had given to Ginny. Harry's two favourite photos hung in a place of honour, right above the door. No other photo's hung near the two, one of which showed his parents and their best man laughing, the other a group of redheads at a different wedding.

Ginny had enlarged both photos for Harry as a surprise, and he never tired of gazing at the happy people who made up his family, both by blood and by sheer love. Ron, however, barely seemed to notice the people in the pictures, so shocked was he by the decor. "Harry, mate, what happened in here?" he asked weakly.

"Haven't you been in here since Ginny took it upon herself to redo my room?" asked Harry in mild curiosity, "She decided my walls were boring, or something."

"Why do you care what his walls look like?" Ron asked, giving his little sister a strange look.

"Harry and I spend a lot of time studying in here. I think I should get a say how he decorates," Ginny said haughtily, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"You never used to be this messy," Ron said with a grin, "Maybe I'd better check and make sure Ginny's room isn't clean, or I'll have to assume that you two switched bodies."

"Are you a bit of a slob, Gin?" Harry asked with a teasing grin.

"Hey!" protested the girl, gesturing to the mess that surrounded them, "You're one to talk!"

"Well, I've been running myself ragged lately, and cleaning has fallen by the wayside," Harry said a bit defensively.

"Don't worry about it, mate, I can't remember the last time I cleaned my room," Ron said, giving Harry a friendly pat on the back.

"That's because you never had Aunt Petunia screeching at you," Harry muttered darkly, using his mumbled complaint as an excuse to cut and run. There was little he wanted at that point than to be far, far from his best mate. _Maybe the bunny and the grasshopper would like some company_, he thought. _Okay, I'm officially obsessed. I need serious amount of counselling to overcome this whole bunny taking over my thoughts thing. _

Not long after Harry had started walking aimlessly away from the entrance to the Heads' dorms, Ginny caught up to him. "Are you alright, Harry?' she asked quietly before he could so much as say hello.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, frankly curious, as he took her head. Ginny, who had been keeping pace with him, came to a dead stop, eyeing him shrewdly. After a moment, she began to move, Harry walking beside her, still holding her hand.

"It isn't very nice to use your horrible relatives to escape an awkward situation," she scolded gently, grinning a little and casually glancing into classrooms they passed, looking for students her had ignored the fact that curfew was a few minutes gone already.

"The bunny made me do it," Harry said without hesitation, grinning smugly at his girlfriend.

"You spend a lot of time thinking about that ridiculous bunny, don't you?" asked Ginny, shaking her head in a mildly frustrated way.

"I can't help it," Harry said with a winning smile, "The bunny got in and took over."

"That's one evil bunny," Ginny said with a grin, giving up on serious conversation.

"I'm pretty sure that the bunny is bent on world domination, once he's done with me," Harry said with a theatrical sigh.

"You should put a stop to that," Ginny said, feigning seriousness.

"I suppose it would be good training," conceded Harry glancing around a bit to see if anyone happened to be wandering the halls when they shouldn't be.

"I'm sure that Voldemort will be nothing after you manage to defeat an orange bunny," Ginny declared.

Harry just laughed.

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Time progressed quickly for the four Head Students. They worked hard, sometimes missing class to train. They tried never to miss transfiguration, charms or potions, mostly at Hermione's insistence, but sometimes they worked right through their classes without realising it. McGonagall, while not really approving, did not say anything and even had the other members of staff overlook these little bits of truancy. Harry was very grateful for that, and so, though sometimes sorely tempted, he did not give into the desire to slip away with Ginny at any and every opportunity.

There were, however, certain occasions where that resolve was sorely tested.

One morning, after Harry had returned from his early jog, Ginny had slipped into the shower with him. That in and of itself practically guaranteed that they would be late for class, but when Ron called to Harry from the bathroom door, they were suddenly faced by a whole new issue entirely. "You ready to go down to breakfast, mate?" called out the redhead, oblivious to the fact that Harry had just been in the process of working shampoo through Ginny's long hair.

"Er," Harry said, his brain nearly shutting down, "I ate already. With Ginny."

"Oh, then I'll see you in class, I guess," Ron said, hurrying off to the Great Hall, never to know the absolute horror he would have felt had he realised exactly who was in showering with his best mate.

"Oh my," Ginny managed to mutter, nearly ten minutes after Ron had left.

Harry didn't say a word. He supposed that there had probably been times when someone was closer to catching them than Ron had been, but Harry really felt as though that had been the closest call ever. That included the time he had managed to convince Ron that Ginny was in Harry's bed early one morning because she had come to wake him up and fallen asleep herself.

Neither Harry nor Ginny really thought about moving or finishing washing out the shampoo until the water began to go cold. Then they had jumped into motion. Once they were clean, the pair had ended up in a tangle on Harry's bed, laughing as a sense of euphoria that stemmed from not being caught spread over them. Sometimes there was simply nothing to be done but laugh. Harry had been on the verge of telling Ginny to forget about class and just come back to bed for the rest of the day, when he pictured Hermione and Ron storming in to demand why Harry hadn't been in charms.

That sobering thought got Harry up and dressed in record time. He hadn't really thought about how he would tell Ron that he had been secretly dating Ginny ever since they had broken up at the funeral, but he knew that he didn't want to do so while Ron was punching him for being found naked in bed with Ginny. While he doubted there was really a right way to tell someone a secret like that, he knew categorically that that would be one of the many, many wrong ways to go about doing it.

Despite Harry's timely moment of rational thought, the pair had been abysmally late for their respective classes that morning.

Excluding a few awkward incidents, time passed in a stream of monotonous and gruelling routine. Soon the month of June began, and all thoughts turned nervously to the coming confrontation. Harry felt more ready to face Voldemort than he had in February, but he still wasn't sure that it would be enough. Once they had started looking into lists of spells and potions that they might want to know, the four had become properly aware of how much they didn't know. They had crammed all the learning they could into the time they had had thus far, but failure seemed to becoming more of a threat than ever before.

The fact that Harry was now enjoying his life more than ever before, largely due to Ginny and the feeling that he was actually doing something to ready himself to face what was, in all likelihood, his doom, made the him even more nervous. He had never had more to live for or more chance of dying in the near future. That paradox drove him mad, when he let it. Other times it was thoughts of losing the battle and ending up dead that would put him in a sweat.

Life was sometimes unfair to Harry Potter, but he really didn't think he was ready to try the alternative.

What really worried Harry, though, was the lack of deaths and disappearances of late. He had thought that Voldemort would have started right in on his old evil ways after Dumbledore's death, but the evil git hadn't. Harry was convinced that the lack of outright violence was a sign of malevolent plans being laid. He hadn't said as much to anyone else, but Harry got the feeling that Hermione, at least, shared his foreboding.

But what really had Ginny worrying was the possibility that Harry would suddenly get some stupid notion that he had to face this all on his own. She had never known him to share so much of his burden before, and she doubted it would last. Harry's ability to let other's risk their lives for him was about as strong as his ability to sit around and do nothing when he could be risking his life for someone else. Again, Hermione seemed to share in this worry as well. She responded by tripling her research efforts and achieving the astonishing feat of reading every book in the restricted section in a little under three months. And that was on top of all her schoolwork, regular research, Head Girl and DA duties, helping the others with their homework, as well as physical and magical training with Harry. She had also taken to testing Harry's Occlumency, which she declared impressively tough.

Ginny felt really rather guilty that she hadn't helped Hermione more in the library, which was what had led Ginny to offer to meet the other witch in the library during a free period that she would otherwise have spent quite happily with Harry, likely working on something for a while and then spending a few stolen moments snogging. Ginny sighed wistfully at the missed opportunity and began to wonder if there was any way she could sneak away from Hermione for a few minutes and surprise Harry. That was, of course, assuming that Hermione actually showed up. Ginny frowned. Her friend was hardly ever late, and never slow to get to the library. Perhaps Ron had waylaid her and she had forgotten to meet Ginny…

But just then, in a swirl of school robes, arms full of heavy books, Hermione hurried into the library. She looked flustered, and Ginny figured that Hermione had been with Ron and lost track of the time. Then she saw how red Hermione's eyes were. Ginny frowned again, wondering if Ron and Hermione had had a fight.

"Are you okay?" asked Ginny, rather concerned. Hermione might cry more easily than Ginny did herself, but the brunette did not start sobbing away for no particular reason.

"Oh, um, yes," Hermione muttered distractedly, sorting through her papers and books hurriedly. "Yes, of course I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Ginny, "Why were you late?"

Hermione got the strangest look of absolute horror on her face. Ginny wondered if she'd said something offensive by mistake.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione said, looking terrified, "I mean, it does, but I, uh… I…"

"You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to," Ginny said, trying not to sound as hurt as she felt. She had always thought that Hermione told her everything, that they had no secrets. Stupid, really, when you considered what Ginny was hiding from the other girl.

"You know what?" Hermione said, suddenly looking determined, "I should tell you. You told me when it happened to you."

That had Ginny confused, but she didn't say anything as Hermione through all her neatly organised piles of books and papers haphazardly back into her bag.

"Let's get out of here, find somewhere private to talk," Hermione suggested.

"Sure," Ginny said, standing up and following her friend out of the library. "Where are we going?"

"There's an empty classroom not far from here," Hermione said, still sounding determined to tell her secret, no matter what. When she was seated sideways in a desk facing Ginny a few moments later, she took a deep breath. "Remember what happened to you at Christmas?"

"Oh my gosh!" she cried, somewhere between shocked and excited, "You're pregnant!"

"I don't know, Ginny, but it seems likely," Hermione said, sounding much more woe-begotten than her friend.

"You're not happy about this," Ginny said suddenly seeing it in Hermione's anxious eyes.

"I want to be," the girl said quietly, "But I'm worried about what Ron will say. And I'm worried that this will mess everything up, and I'm worried that… I'm just worried."

Ginny got up and wrapped her arms around Hermione, sick with the thought of how long the girl must have been fretting about this before she had confided in Ginny. Merlin, no wonder Ginny's comment about being late had upset her. "Hey, don't worry about it right now. You don't know anything for sure yet, do you?"

Hermione shook her head and appeared to be calming down, at least a little.

"Well, you and I will just have to brew that potion you found last time," Ginny said firmly.

"I've already started it. That's why I was late to meet you," Hermione said, hiccoughing a bit as her tears slowed to a stop.

Ginny didn't know quite what to say after that, so she stayed quiet, still hugging her friend. Hermione was the one to break the silence several long minutes later.

"Gin?" she asked in a faint voice.

"Yes, Hermione?" replied Ginny, wondering what she could do to make her friend feel better. She really thought Hermione should go talk to Ron, but the youngest Weasley son was not known for his tact. He might say something stupid that he didn't mean and end up hurting Hermione. The witch looked so upset that Ginny knew that if Ron said something awful, it would be the last thing he ever said to the girl.

"Did you tell Robert… last Christmas?" Hermione asked awkwardly, clearly seeking some comfort.

Ginny's mind raced. She had, of course, told Harry when she had suspected that she was pregnant, and he had taken it extremely well. Ginny wanted to tell Hermione that, but she couldn't mention Harry's name. Ginny settled for telling another outright lie and mentally apologizing to Hermione for having to do so. "Yes, I borrowed Hedwig from Harry and sent him a letter while you were looking up the potion," Ginny said, calculating how fast the owl could reasonably be expected to travel with the letter and a possible reply. What could she tell Hermione that Robert had said? The older girl knew that Ginny and Robert had 'broken-up' not long after that, but that was hardly the kind of thing Hermione needed to hear just then.

"What did he say?" asked Hermione timidly. Ginny's heart sank a bit.

"He, uh, just sent a reply saying that he wanted the results as soon as I had them," Ginny said, wishing she had something more hopeful to tell Hermione.

"Did he break up with you when you told him?" asked Hermione, not meeting Ginny's eyes and sounding extremely worried.

"No, we didn't really break up until a few days later. But the thing is, neither of us really expected to keep dating the other as long as we did. It's to hard to have a relationship with someone that you have so little in common with, and who is so far away all the time," Ginny said, thinking quickly.

"Oh," was all Hermione said for a long time. Then she began again, finally meeting Ginny's gaze squarely. "Do you think that Ron will be upset?"

"Ron won't know what to say," Ginny replied honestly, "But he might surprise you, if you give him the chance." Silently, Ginny prayed that her brother would have enough sense to be there for Hermione when she needed him.

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Ginny had sent Hermione to take a nap after that, insisting that she would take over the older girl's research for the rest of the free period. Admittedly, that wasn't long, but at least Ginny could do a little to lighten Hermione's load. She felt even more horrible for not helping the girl before than she had when she had made plans to meet her friend in the library.

Ginny shook her head slightly. Everything seemed somehow different now, like things had changed but she hadn't even noticed it until Hermione had told her that she could be pregnant. Ginny could hardly imagine her friend with a baby, let alone her youngest brother. She had always been closer to Ron than she had been to the older ones, and Ginny wasn't certain that he would deal well with this latest bit of news.

It was amazing, really, how Hermione's secret would likely shift everyone's perspective so much. They had all been completely focused on preparing Harry and readying Ron and Hermione to travel with him, that it was entirely a knew experience to faced with a potential problem that was linked to Harry's ultimate destiny at all.

Then suddenly Ginny blanched. If Hermione really was pregnant, then there was no way Harry would let her go on their dangerous mission. In fact, Harry wouldn't likely be willing to let Ron go either. He had missed a lot in his life by losing his parents so young, and he wouldn't want that for his best friends' child.

Suddenly it seemed very likely that Harry would be facing Voldemort completely alone and friendless, like he always had in the past. Ginny began to cry. Things weren't supposed to happen this way.


	33. Chapter 33: A Dark Day Indeed

**Chapter Thirty-three**

**A Dark Day Indeed**

Harry was cheerfully heading off to lunch after the morning's free period. His mind whirled with possibilities for the new spell that he and Ron had just mastered. Hermione had found it originally two months previously, but it was a complicated spell to learn. What it did was sort of broaden the beam of a spell so that it could hit several enemies at once, but it took a lot of concentration. He had only figured out the trick of it that morning, while he and Ron had been working alone together.

Harry really couldn't wait to tell Ginny and Hermione that they had managed it, but the girls had been no where to be found during their one and only mutual spare class. Harry was a little disappointed by missing an opportunity to spend time with his girlfriend, but she had said something about helping Hermione in the library, and Harry knew Hermione could use the assistance. She had been practically living in the place in the last little while, and only through Ron's steady cajoling could they ever pry her out when she had a spare moment's time.

Harry was just about to turn the corner that would leave him at the top of the marble staircase to the Entrance Hall when he heard the sound of quiet sobs from the open classroom to his left. He froze in his tracks. Harry did not really fancy the idea of confronting some crying person, but he could hardly just walk away…

And so, stomach full of lead, Harry slipped through the open door. In the far corner of the classroom he spotted a horribly familiar head of blonde hair bent over drawn up knees. His first instinct was to cut and run, in case Harmony was planning the same sort of trick as the last time he had come upon her in tears. Yet something was different this time. The girl seemed to really be sobbing and she hadn't even seemed to notice his arrival. So, with a fortifying breath, Harry spoke up.

"Harmony?" he asked quietly, hoping the blonde would tell him to sod off and come back when she was feeling more composed.

Instead, the girl looked up sharply through puffy red eyes. That tore it. Harry knew that Harmony hadn't looked so abjectly miserable the last time he had seen her crying. Something truly had to be wrong.

So Harry sat down in front of her, transfiguring a scrap of parchment from the ground into a handkerchief for Harmony. She took it gratefully, dabbing her eyes and drawing ragged breaths.

"What's the matter, Harmony?" Harry asked tentatively. He didn't want to be, but he couldn't help but be concerned for her. This pitiful, tearstained creature was not the same overly confident sixth year that tortured him on a daily basis.

"Did you see the paper this morning?" she choked out, tears leaking from her eyes again.

"No," Harry said with a frown. He had skipped breakfast that morning in favour of catching a few minutes extra alone with Ginny and hadn't been there for the post owls.

Wordlessly, Harmony handed him a crumpled copy of the Daily Prophet that he hadn't noticed when he walked in earlier. With a feeling of deepest apprehension, Harry looked at the headline.

'MASS MUGGLE MASSACRE'

'Death Eaters began attacking three separate muggle communities early yesterday morning and were barely contained by the ministry for nearly twelve hours. It is believed that they were searching for the muggle relatives of Harry Potter, who took the poor boy in after the tragic deaths of Lily and James Potter and his subsequent defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.'

Harry scanned the rest of the article in horror. He really couldn't imagine something happening to the Dursleys…

So, to distract himself, he asked the obvious question. "Does someone you know live in one of those places?"

"My mum and dad," Harmony answered miserably.

"You're a muggle-born?" asked Harry, realising how little he knew about this girl.

"Half-blood. My dad's a wizard, but we live in my mum's old neighbourhood," Harmony answered faintly.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly. And there was really nothing else to say, so he didn't protest when she flung herself into his arms and burst into tears. Harry just let her cry, and that was the scene that Ron found nearly fifteen minutes later when he came in search of Harry.

He burst into the room with his usual suddenness, making Harry feel rather glad he was holding Harmony rather than Ginny. He nearly grinned at that completely unexpected feeling, but then he remembered all the attacks on innocent muggles. How had he not known about this?

"What's going on, mate?" asked Ron, shocked to find Harry's arms wrapped around the girl that he claimed to hate.

Harry threw the paper at Ron, mouthing the words 'her parents' over Harmony's shaking form. He didn't want to upset her all over again, but Ron had to be told something. Harry frowned as his best mate's face paled horribly. He was taking this worse than Harry thought he would…

Ron was trembling as he read the article, and suddenly Harry felt as though he had missed something. What had happened was horrible, but why did Ron look so shook up? Did he know any muggles personally?

Just as Harry was beginning to wonder if he would need to call someone to help him comfort both Harmony and Ron, his friend caught his puzzled eyes. Ron read the questions that Harry was on the verge of asking and answered. "Hermione's mum and dad live in one of those neighbourhoods," Ron said, his face grim.

"Do you think she knows yet?" Harry asked, his face paling too. How could he have forgotten that Hermione's was muggleborn?

"She missed breakfast this morning and has been holed up in the library with Ginny for the entire free period, I think," Ron said, "I don't think she could have found out, unless someone told her."

"We have to go and tell her before someone else does," Harry said, glancing down at Harmony. She wasn't crying as hard anymore, but she was still clinging to him. What was he supposed to do with her?

"Let's go," Ron said, eager to find Hermione so that he could break the news more gently to her than someone else would think to. Ron seemed entirely oblivious to Harry's predicament with Harmony, so Harry just sort of half carried her along with him. He had hoped she would protest and demand to be left alone, but she seemed almost numb, as though she wasn't aware that she was being pulled through the halls of Hogwarts towards the library.

They had barely gone up one flight of stairs when they ran into Neville. Harry pushed the blonde girl into his arms, along with the newspaper. He explained hurriedly what the problem was and then rushed off to catch up with Ron. The red head was waiting impatiently at the end of the corridor for Harry to catch up.

They found Hermione not long after that, on her way down to lunch from their dorm. Her eyes were red rimmed, as though she had been crying. Ron immediately scooped her into his arms, and she went without protest.

"We just found out," he said, "How are you feeling?"

"Er, well, as best as can be expected, I suppose," Hermione said, seeming flustered. "How did you find out?"

"It doesn't really matter," Ron said, leading Hermione and Harry into an empty classroom. "The only important thing is that you're alright. You are, aren't you?"

"Er, well, I guess. It was a bit of a shock, really," Hermione said.

Harry thought that something was off about the conversation. He couldn't out a finger on what, but Ron and Hermione really didn't seem to be on the same page…

"Of course it was a shock, darling," Ron said, "It shocked me too."

"You seem to be taking this better than I thought you would," Hermione admitted, "But really, who told you, because the only person I told was Ginny."

"Well, Harry read it in the paper, and then he told me and we came to find you," Ron said, "And why are you worried how I would take it? Aren't you the one who should be taking it hard?"

"The paper? It was in the paper?" Hermione asked with a frown, "It couldn't have been in the paper!"

"It was on the front page, Hermione, and how could you expect them not to report this?" Ron asked, "The Prophet might be biased, but they're still a half way creditable news source."

Now Harry really didn't think Ron and Hermione could be talking about the same thing. And, from their frowns, it appeared as though they were beginning to think the same thing.

"What are you talking about, Ron?" asked Hermione.

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" asked Ron.

"I'm talking about well, uh, I'm talking about…" Hermione trailed off, shooting Harry an embarrassed look.

"You aren't talking about the muggle massacres?" asked Harry quietly.

"Muggle massacres?" Hermione paled considerably and reached out instinctively to clutch Ron's hand. Harry grimaced a little. He should have found a gentler way to say that, and from the look on Ron's face, he thought so too.

"I gave the paper I got from Harmony to Neville, but Ron read the article, and he tells me that your parents live in one of the places that was hit," Harry said softly, wincing as Hermione flinched at his words. There were truly no softer ways to say these things, but he still felt bad.

Ron wrapped his arms around her and pulled Hermione to him as she began to cry softly into his shoulders.

Harry got up and left. Guilt ate at his stomach, guilt and worry.

How many students were there like Harmony and Hermione? How many kids were right now finding out that their parents might be dead? How many were now orphans? It wasn't even just muggle born children, but actual muggle children as well. Their were probably babies out there right now that were parentless, who would grow up without people who loved them, like he had. God, he didn't want other kids to deal with people who treated them like the Dursleys had treated him.

Harry didn't want these things to happen, but at the same time he hadn't stopped them either. He had held off facing Voldemort, and the evil excuse for a wizard had done these horrible things. It was all Harry's fault.

His stomach burned, his eyes watered, but behind all the guilt and worry was a blazing inferno of fire. Harry was fuelled by pure rage as he stalked through the corridors. He stomped past the Great Hall, not noticing that the room was deathly silent, though most of the school filled it. McGonagall had told them of the muggle massacre nearly a half hour before, but after the initial uproar and hysteria, most students sat mutely at their house tables. Some cried quietly, but only a very few had left their seats. Harmony had rushed from the hall as soon as McGonagall had stopped speaking, but most everyone sat and let the shock wash over them. After so many months of worrying and fretting about Voldemort's return, the war was beginning again. No one knew quite what to say or do.

Harry didn't know quite what to say or do either, so he settled for walking. He walked out the front doors and down towards the lake, anger building, fury bursting to be let go. Then suddenly, pain beyond pain and he was on his knees. His hands jumped to his burning scar, but he didn't feel them through the blinding, searing pain of it. Insane, boundless laughter swelled within him and around him. He tried to choke it off, but he could only distort the sound, mix it with a scream. The sound echoed horribly around him, consuming him…

And then there was another sensation…

Hands, prying at his. A voice, saying his name and then no more laughter… the pain lessened, and seemed to focus on his scar and the scar that crossed his left palm. There was blood flowing from it, nearly as much as the night he had first cut it open. Then Ginny's face came into focus and the only sound was his ragged breathing.

"What happened, Harry?" she asked urgently.

"Reports… he got reports back about the massacre," Harry panted, struggling to stand, leaning heavily on Ginny. He looked around him, mildly surprised to find himself out on the grounds. "How did you find me?"

"I… I don't know," Ginny admitted as she tried to steady Harry and help him back towards the castle. "Just suddenly, my hand was burning, and then my head was pounding, and I knew you needed me… and I just came and found you."

Harry didn't have time to think about that just then. "Gin, I have to do something! He didn't find the Dursleys this time, but he's narrowed it down. He thinks he knows where they are, Gin. I can't let him get them!"

Ginny's face turned hard. "Why worry about them?" she asked coldly, "They hardly worry about you!"

"I can't just leave them to him, Gin," Harry replied admonishingly, "I kind of got the feeling that Aunt Petunia would have liked things to be different than they were. She said something like that, anyway."

Ginny shook her head. She couldn't believe that Harry was willing to let go of the pain they had caused him so easily, just because his aunt had offered some weak words of regret. After the atrocities that Harry had suffered at the hands of the Dursleys…

"Gin, they are horrible, but they don't deserve to be left to that mad man," Harry said, "You couldn't sentence them to that, could you?"

"No, I suppose I couldn't," Ginny said, though she wasn't quite so sure. "But what can we do? McGonagall told the school that the ministry and the Order are on it. They're stretched thin, but they're doing what they can, and so are the muggles."

"They can't possibly protect every muggle that lives in England," Harry said, trying to shift his weight off of Ginny as they walked through the doors.

"There's not much that can be done about it, there's only so many witches and wizards, and not all of us are on the side of good," Ginny said, trying to make Harry see reason.

"Well, I'm one more person who can help," Harry said stonily.

"Harry, what can one more person do?" demanded Ginny, tears in her eyes.

"I can make up for not stopping him sooner," Harry said, his eyes burning with guilt and rage and determination.

"It's not your fault!" Ginny practically screamed, "Can't you see that?"

"Of course it's my fault, Gin!" Harry raged in return. "I'm the one who made the ridiculous promise! It's my fault all these people died, all these people lost their parents!"

"It's not your fault!" Ginny cried out, nearly hysterical now.

"I should have known better! I should have gone and stopped him right away! I shouldn't have waited around, training or whatever you bloody well want to call what I've been wasting my time doing!" Harry was now standing across the hall from Ginny, and both were screaming at each other, oblivious to the people who were pouring from the Great Hall.

"Did you expect to just waltz out and find Voldemort and just stop him? Are you stupid Harry? You've been lucky in the past, but you've never managed to get rid of him on pure luck before, have you? You needed to train to stand a chance of living!"

"Are you seriously standing there telling me that I've never done a good enough job escaping Voldemort? Are you of all people, really accusing me of not being strong enough to stop him?" demanded Harry, blindly outraged.

"Me of all people? What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ginny, eyes flashing with anger.

"You even have to ask? You didn't seem to think I was too weak to stop him when I saved your life in the Chamber of Secrets, did you?" Harry snapped, not noticing the gasps of shock that a few students allowed to escape.

"You want to talk about the Chamber, do you? How about we talk about how Fawkes arrived at just the right moment to save us both?" retorted Ginny, tears in her eyes. "Or how I spent a bloody year fighting Tom Riddle on my own while you and Ron ignored me?"

"How about we talk about the fact that he had you beaten until I came along?" suggested Harry nastily, stung by Ginny's words, anger still burning deep inside him.

"No one can fight him forever, Harry! Not even you!" cried Ginny defensively.

"I seem to have done a better job of it than you did!" Harry retorted scathingly, "And I've been fighting him for sixteen fucking years!"

"And you'll still be fighting him in another fucking sixteen years if you don't stop and figure out how to defeat him once and for all!" Ginny was really getting exasperated now, and she had begun to notice their audience.

"I tried that Gin, and a whole lot of innocent people paid the price!" Now Harry had tears falling silently down his cheeks. "All those muggles, this isn't their fight. This isn't the Grangers' fight! This isn't the Dursleys' fight! This isn't anyone's fight but mine and Voldemort's!" Harry's chest was heaving with his breath as he yelled.

"This is my fight, too, Harry," Ginny said, suddenly feeling her anger melt away.

"I don't want it to be your fight," Harry said, his voice not nearly so loud as before.

"This is our fight, too, mate," Ron said. Harry and Ginny both jumped. Neither had really been aware that there were other people around.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

No one breathed.

And then Hermione hurried towards Harry and pulled him into a rough hug. Then Ron and Ginny were with them as well, and as the whole school looked on, they cried together. Eventually McGonagall hustled everyone off to their common rooms, leaving the four alone in the Entrance Hall, locked together in a fierce embrace. All their problems were set aside for the moment, and they were simply allowed to be four friends.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Alright, so originally this chapter was going to be a bit longer and include a greater span of time, but it's already been like a week since my last update, and I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. And just so you know, I haven't got the chance to look at even one review. It sucks, I know, but I'm sorry. I know it is a tired excuse, but I really did have a God awful week. You see, I'm president of my school's students council, and we litterally had an even every day last week, so any free time was spent doing like homework and things. (Monday was our weekly meeting, Tuesday was a thing called Norlympics (which used to be Grade Nine Initiations), Wednesday was our talent show, Thursday Butler Auctions and Friday Butler day and our first dance. It was insane! But now I should have a bit more time, so updates should be more regular!**

**QK**

**Oh, and I will answer every review, even the seven I still have left from chapter 31!**


	34. Chapter 34: A Time to Act

**Chapter Thirty-four**

**A Time to Act**

The time had come to act.

No matter what way Harry looked at it, he could come to no other conclusion. So, instead he went over everything he had to do before he left. But there really wasn't much left to do; they had been preparing for this moment for months. Harry figured that they could be gone by the day after tomorrow. In the morning, he would find Ron and Hermione and give them a days time to prepare, and tomorrow night Harry would go to Ginny and beg her to understand why he was asking her to stay behind. He had to know that she was safe, so he had something to live for, a reason to believe in the future. With a little luck, he could convince Ginny that he wasn't concerned about her ability to protect herself, but more his ability to remain focused when she was around.

Harry sighed, and let his thoughts drift over the future he wanted so desperately with Ginny. They would get married, and live in a little cottage in the country. Eventually they would have kids, a whole houseful, and Ron and Hermione would settle down, and their kids would play together, and go to school together… The other Weasleys would be around, and they would have big family Christmases at the Burrow…

Harry sighed happily, and an image of his grandmother's engagement ring flitted across his mind. He had already told Ginny that he would give it to her one day, and he planned to do so as soon as he made it through the Voldemort thing. He would have given her the ring a long time ago, except he didn't want to give Ginny another reason to cry if he weren't to make it through this final battle.

Dawn light had finally crept nearly imperceptibly through the window, and so Harry decided to get up and go for a run. But even as he dressed, his thoughts lingered on the ring. The gold band and its three stones were dainty and just perfect for Ginny's long, slim fingers. The two small rubies that flanked the larger diamond matched exactly and set off the other stone to perfection.

Harry was still thinking hopefully of the future, and of the engagement ring after his shower two hours later. After he put on his clothes for the day, he went over to his bedside table and pulled the little leather pouch out and dumped the ring onto his palm. He turned it over and over in his hand, contemplating it with fresh eyes. He really hoped that, when the time came, Ginny would like the ring. He supposed he could always buy her a new one if she didn't, but he thought this one suited her, somehow. Perhaps it was the Gryffindor colours…

Suddenly Ginny stirred on the bed, sitting up and staring around sleepily. Harry hastily shoved the ring in his pocket and turned to drop a kiss on her cheek. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Harry said with a smile.

"Just because some of us don't get up a dawn is no reason to poke fun, dear," Ginny complained, sleepily tossing a pillow in Harry's direction. He laughed and batted it away.

"I'm going down to breakfast," Harry said, "I've got something to talk to Ron and Hermione about."

"I'm going to catch a shower, then maybe I'll see you at breakfast," Ginny said, lazily kissing Harry's cheek as she strolled past.

Harry nodded and slipped out the door, feeling a little guilty for delaying telling Ginny his plan. He wanted her to have time to process everything he said, and he didn't think telling her just before classes was a great idea. He would tell her straight away after supper, and his conscience would just have to satisfied with that.

Harry was just turning his mind to deciding whether Ron and Hermione were likely awake yet when Ron came down the stairs from Hermione's room and called after him.

"Hey, wait up, mate!" Ron called, "I've got to talk to you a minute."

"I was looking for you as well," Harry said, waiting for Ron by the door and then following the redhead out into the corridor.

The two best friends strode through the school, Ron in the lead, until they came to the Room of Requirement. "You don't mind talking in here, do you?" Ron asked sheepishly, "I wouldn't bother, but I'd rather not be overheard."

"This is fine with me, though I did plan on talking to both you and Hermione at the same time," Harry said, sitting down on a comfy red armchair that the Room had provided.

"Right," Ron began, nervously pacing in front of Harry for a moment until the room provided a chess board with two straight back chairs surrounding it. "Fancy a game?" Ron asked weakly. Harry knew that Ron was just stalling, but he agreed anyway.

The pair played a short game of chess, in which Ron thoroughly trounced Harry, though perhaps not quite as thoroughly as usual. Nevertheless, Ron seemed much calmer by the time they had finished and he seemed ready to make another stab at saying what he had dragged Harry halfway across the castle to say.

"Look, mate, I've got a favour to ask," Ron said, avoiding Harry's eyes.

"Anything," Harry said, quite sincerely.

"When we go to face him next month," Ron began, then met Harry's eyes almost defiantly, "I want to leave Hermione behind."

"I know how you feel mate, but she won't go for it," Harry said bracingly. Only too well did Harry understand the feeling of wanting to make sure a loved one was safe.

"Well," Ron said, squaring his jaw mulishly, "She'll have to go for it because I'm not giving her the choice."

"Ron, buddy, you do realise that Hermione is called the smartest witch of her age for a reason, don't you? She's bound to know some really horrible hex that will turn you into an orange bunny or something, and then she'll just insist on coming with me because you can't possibly be of use as an orange bunny," Harry said, trying for a laugh, or even a smile.

"She can't go," Ron said stubbornly. Harry went to argue again, but Ron went on, "Harry, she's pregnant."

Harry didn't speak for quite some time. Then he said one sentence, looking a bit pale in the face. "She can't go, then."

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Harry paced his room that night after supper. Ginny was gone on a patrol with Ron and Hermione was in the library, finishing an essay, so there was little chance that he would be disturbed for a good while yet. One thought played continuously through his mind, in great, sweeping circles that blocked out all else.

_I am on my own._

Hermione can't come because she's pregnant.

_I am on my own._

I can't let Ron come, he's about to become a father. What if something happened to him? His baby would grow up without a father, and Harry couldn't let that happen.

_I am on my own. _

Ginny had to be safe. Harry couldn't imagine what he would do if she were hurt, but he knew that there was no way he could go on with his life if she weren't there to share it with.

_I am on my own, and that's the way it has to be. _

Suddenly Harry stopped pacing. He threw a few things in his bag, and then tucked the bag out of sight again. He would tell Ginny that he was leaving when she got back.

Except that she would never let him leave on his own, so she couldn't know he was going until he was gone. Harry would write her a note, a long one, that explained everything that he had meant to say in person, one that apologized for breaking so many promises, and one that explained why he had done it. One that told Ginny a thousand time how much he loved her, in hopes that she would forgive him if he managed to come back.

Harry worked on his letter until he heard voices in the common room. He hastily shoved the parchments into the drawer of his bedside table, closing it just as Ginny popped through the adjoining door. "Hey, babe," she said with a grin, "Going to make an early night of it?"

"Only if you're planning on joining me," Harry replied with an equal grin.

"That doesn't sound like much of an early night to me," Ginny replied, stepping into his embrace.

"It sounds like a wonderful night to me," responded Harry, bending to kiss her tenderly. When they emerged from their embrace several minutes later, Ginny collapsed onto the bed with a sigh while Harry went to lock the door.

"How was patrol?" Harry asked as he turned to look at Ginny lying with one arm propped up on an elbow on his bed. His heart constricted with love. She made a gorgeous picture, stretched out like she was. Her long, bare legs stuck out of the black, pleated skirt she wore. She had traded her robes and blouse for one of his black t-shirts with red lettering across the chest. She looked so cute in it, despite the fact that it was about twelve sizes too big. Her long red hair spread out over shoulders and fell in waves on the bed behind her.

"Oh, it was fine," Ginny said with a bit of a smile. Harry loved watching her, especially when she smiled. "I haven't spent much time with Ron lately, and I've missed him, I think. He seems a bit worried about something, though. He wouldn't tell me what though…"

Ginny chatted on, and as she spoke of innocuous little things that had happened to her in the course of the day, Harry realized that he could listen to her speak forever. He could talk to her about the little events of their days for the rest of his life. He could watch her freckles when she wrinkled her nose, or the sparkle in her eyes when she mentioned her brother. Harry could be with her forever, and he wanted Ginny to know it.

Suddenly it didn't matter that he was going to face Voldemort in the morning. He had to ask Ginny to marry him and he had to know if she would say yes. After all, he had decided just that morning that the time had come to act instead of putting off the inevitable. And really, to Harry's mind, asking Ginny to marry him was wonderfully inevitable. So, suddenly Harry crouched at her feet by the edge of the bed. "Marry me, Ginny," Harry said impulsively.

"What?" she gasped, looking down into beseeching green eyes.

"I asked you to marry me, Gin," Harry repeated, "Not right away, not until after… But please, say you'll marry me?"

"Of course I will, Harry," Ginny said, tears welling up in her eyes. Ginny thrust aside her shock and surprise, instead embracing the deep happiness that Harry's words elicited in her.

Harry dug his grandmother's ring from his pocket and fumbled it onto Ginny's finger. Suddenly there were tears in the corner of his eyes as well. He kissed her lightly on the lips, grinning madly even as her first tear slid down her cheek. Then he kissed that tear away, and Ginny giggled a little. She looked down at the ring and gasped.

"Oh, Harry, it's lovely!" she exclaimed quietly.

"It was my grandmother's," he said a bit uncertainly. He wasn't sure if he should offer to get her a new one, or wait and see if she asked for another ring. Wouldn't a girl want her own engagement ring, one picked out especially for her?

"It's perfect," she said, gazing lovingly down at the band of gold encircling her finger. "But, Harry," she said with a bit of a frown, "I can't wear it, I can't let people see it!"

"There's a charm on it that will re-direct peoples attention away from the ring," Harry explained, "No one should notice until you show it to them."

"That was clever of you," Ginny said with a grin.

"Thanks," Harry said, grinning sappily back.

"You do realize we'll have to wait at least until I'm seventeen, right?" Ginny asked a bit uncertainly. She didn't want to think about practical things right now, but the thought kept intruding on her happiness.

"We can wait until you finish school, if you like," Harry replied, "I just like knowing for certain that you and I will be married some day soon."

"I like knowing that too," Ginny said, grinning and crying at the same time. "And I'm not sure I really want to wait, even though I know that we probably should. I want to be married to you as soon as possible!"

"I'm looking forward to starting our life together," Harry said with a misty grin as he thought of their future.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny said, giving him a strange look, "Don't you know that we already have a life together?"

Harry frowned for a second as he thought about her words. Suddenly he realized that she was right, they did have a life together. "We do, don't we?" he said with a wide grin, "We really do have a life together already, don't we?"

"Oh, Harry!" Ginny exclaimed again, this time with a little laugh. Then she pulled him to his feet and they kissed. Soon they both fell back onto their bed, wrapped up in each other and thoughts of the future.

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As Harry got up before dawn the next morning, guilt and complete contentment battled inside him. He really wished that he had been entirely honest with Ginny about his plans with Ginny before he proposed, but at the same time, he felt incredibly glad that he had asked her to marry him at that moment last night when he had felt that he had to do so. That moment, when he realized that he really and truly could spend the rest of his life doing nice, normal things with Ginny would always stick out in his mind, and now Ginny would always remember it as well.

Harry didn't think about how much more hurt Ginny might be now if he died, because he simply didn't feel like he could fail right now. He was engaged to the love of his life; Harry was on top of the world.

Harry fished out his letter to Ginny and finished it off, adding more words of love, and another apology for not telling her of his plans to seek out Voldemort on his own. Then he hesitated, wondering where to leave the letter. He didn't want one of the others reading it, and he didn't want Ginny to read it when other people were around. Still, he didn't want Ginny to have to face this all on her own…

Finally Harry came to a decision. He tucked the letter into his pocket, gathered his bag and walked over to the bed one last time. Harry leaned over and kissed Ginny on the cheek. "I love you," he whispered, "I really am sorry."

Then Harry walked out of his room, down the stairs and through the door. He detoured up to the Owlery, gave Hedwig Ginny's letter and specific directions, and left Hogwarts castle. He walked out the door, down the path to the gates, and, once through them, he Disapparated, going back to the one place he had hoped never to see again.

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Hours later, Ginny began to stir. As she came awake, she frowned a bit. Usually Harry woke her up, but she seemed to be alone. With a glance at the clock, Ginny realized that she was running late and quickly began getting ready. By the time she was finished, Harry still hadn't appeared. Thinking that perhaps he had gone down to breakfast alone and let her sleep in. After all, they hadn't gotten to sleep until fairly late the previous night, and Harry was considerate that way. Ginny smiled as she thought back to the night spent in her fiancé's arms. Looking down at her ring as she walked out of her room, Ginny felt a warm glow of happiness spread through her. She smiled softly, making little plans for her wedding, even though it was probably at least a year away.

"Morning, Gin," Hermione called as the redheaded girl stepped down off the staircase. Ginny's head snapped up, and she only just managed to avoid shoving her hand out of sight guiltily.

"Good morning Hermione, Ron," Ginny said brightly as the three headed towards the door.

"Where's Harry?" asked Ron after he nodded in greeting to his sister.

"I haven't seen him," Ginny told the others, "I figure he probably went down to breakfast after his run."

"Doesn't he usually wait for one of us?" asked Hermione, frowning.

"I slept late this morning," Ginny commented, smiling a bit, "So maybe he figured he just go and see who was around. We aren't his only friends, you know. Perhaps he's with Luna or Neville."

"Maybe," Hermione agreed with a bit of a frown.

"Why are you so worried about Harry?" Ron asked, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist.

"Well, I was thinking that after those headlines yesterday that he might go and do something stupid," Hermione commented. Suddenly the other two seemed just as worried as she was.

"He promised he wouldn't go without the both of you," Ginny said sharply, "And I'm almost certain that he was beginning to give into the idea that I would be coming as well."

Ron looked guilty. "I don't think he was planning on taking everyone," he said. Surprisingly, his eyes wondered to Hermione instead of Ginny.

"What did you say to him?" demanded Hermione sharply, coming to a stop. Ginny stopped as well, glaring at her brother.

"I just told him that it might be for the best if you were to stay behind," Ron said, looking stubborn. "I didn't want you to risk it in your condition, and Harry agreed with me!"

"Your condition? Hermione, does that mean that you really are pregnant?" asked Ginny, distractedly. If Ron had told Harry that Hermione was having a baby, then chances were good that Harry had gone on his own, not wanting to risk either of the child's parents.

"Yes," Hermione said, tears springing to her eyes, "We were going to tell you and Harry soon, and everyone else later, but it seems Ron decided that that plan didn't work for him!"

"Listen, Hermione, you're too important to me to lose!" protested Ron, "And I really didn't think that you would want to risk losing the baby!"

"I don't! I just wish you had consulted me before going to Harry!" returned Hermione angrily, "You do realize that he might have gone off on his own, don't you?"

"No," Ron said, going white, "He said that we would go together, he and I, when the time came!"

"Do you know him at all, Ron?" Ginny gasped, "There's no way that Harry would risk having another kid grow up without their parents, especially not his best friends' kid!"

"He's probably just at breakfast," Ron muttered, striding hurriedly off towards the Great Hall.

The three tore through the halls, and burst into the Great Hall, surprising the students nearest to the doors. Ginny's eyes scanned the Gryffindor table, desperately seeking out Harry's messy hair, but it wasn't to be found. She bit back her panic, stumbling backwards out the doors. As soon as Ginny was out of the Hall, Hedwig swooped towards to her. Ginny shook her head weakly as the snowy owl offered her the envelope clutched in her beak. Tears already leaking from the corners of her eyes, Ginny took the letter.

She struggled to contain a sob, knowing that Harry was gone, that this was his explanation, his apology, and perhaps, his last words to her.


	35. Chapter 35:The Seconds' Choice

**Chapter Thirty-five**

**The Seconds' Choice**

_Dear Ginny,_

_I'm sorry to be telling you this in a letter, but it was the only way to be certain that my plans started off on the right foot. I'm sure you've realized by now that I'm gone, and I'm sorry for any worry I may have caused you, but it had to be done, and I had to do it this way. I'm making a mess of explaining this, aren't I?_

_With the attacks on the muggles, I had to act. I could no longer justify taking time to train, not when so many innocents are clearly in immediate danger. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try and stop him. The Dursleys aren't the nicest people, but they don't deserve to be tortured and murdered just because they're related to me. Their neighbours don't deserve to die just because they live near the house where I grew up. What kind of person would I be if I left the muggles to Voldemort?_

_I had meant to tell you all this in person, I really had. I was going to give Ron and Hermione notice enough to prepare, and then I was going to pull you aside tonight and ask you to understand that I love you too much to be able to focus if you were in the thick of the battle. It's not that I worry you can't protect yourself, or anyone around you, its that I worry I'll loose my concentration if you were around. _

_But my plan to tell everyone in person was spoiled by Ron. He cornered me before classes this morning and took me to the Room of Requirement to ask me a favour. He asked that when we went to track down Voldemort, that we didn't take Hermione. I told him he was a fool if he thought that he could convince her to stay behind, and finally he told me why he didn't want her along. I don't know if you know, Gin, but Hermione's pregnant. I couldn't let her come along and risk both her life and the baby's, so I told Ron that of course she'll stay behind. But I didn't tell him that I had decided that he had to stay behind as well. There's no way that I could live with myself if that child lost even one of it's parents because of me. The little boy or girl will need Ron and Hermione a lot more than I do, so I won't be so selfish as to take them away. _

_I want you to make sure that Ron takes care of Hermione. Please give him a message from me, right as soon as you see him, tell him to make sure he looks after Hermione and the baby. And tell him that I would ask that he looked out for you, but I'm sure you'll be the one looking after him. I love you all, so much. Ask that Ron tell the baby that his or her Uncle Harry loved him. _

_I have something to ask of you, as well. Ginny, I know that you won't want to hear it, but I want you to promise that you'll move on, if things were to go wrong. I love you, and I know you love me, but I don't want you dwelling on me, should the worst happen. I want you to settle down and be happy. I'm sure you'll think of me sometimes, but remember me as the boy who was obsessed with orange bunnies, and wanted the world for you. And it's entirely up to you, but I would advise you that my funeral wouldn't really be such a great place to announce our love for each other. Scream it from the tallest towers, if you like. Tell everyone that I loved you, and that you loved me, but I suggest you warn your family first. They might take all the lying better if you do. _

_If things don't go as I plan, I leave you everything. You own my heart already, so you might as well have everything else. Don't scowl at me. You know I'm only trying to make you smile so you're not so mad at me. _

_But please, Ginny, please don't throw your life away if I don't make it through this thing. I don't want you to cry over me, I don't want to hurt you, even though I'm sure that's probably what I'm doing right now. _

_I am making such a mess of this letter, aren't I?_

_Well, all I really wanted to say was that I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you what I was planning and that I love you more than life itself. _

_Love, _

_Harry. _

_PS I'm writing this just before I leave. Ginny, I'm really so, so sorry that I asked you to marry me before I told you that I was planning on tracking down Voldemort this morning. I really didn't intend to propose last night, but suddenly I couldn't help it. I listened to you talking about your patrol with Ron and I thought how marvellously normal it was. I thought to myself that I wanted to hear you talk about your day every day for the rest of our lives. Longer, if I can manage it. _

_Suddenly, I really, really, had to ask you to marry me. I had to know what you would say; I had to see the ring on your finger. I couldn't stop myself, and I didn't want to. _

_I'm sorry, I know that it was so selfish of me to ask you to marry me right before I disappear and when I wasn't being totally honest with you. I hadn't meant to ask you until after I defeated Voldemort, so if things went sour, you wouldn't be hurt so badly by it. But really, when you said yes, it suddenly became impossible to believe that I wouldn't win. I know that I can defeat him, I know it. There's no way I'll let that bastard stand between me and the woman I love, the woman that just agreed to become my wife. _

_Look after Ron and Hermione while I'm gone, and have them look after each other and you. Look after everyone at school if you can. If you can convince your family to return to the school with as much of the Order as possible, that would be best. You'll have to keep them there, whether you have to tie them to the ground. I don't want anyone in the crossfire here if it's avoidable. I'm going to try to get at Voldemort without alerting any Death Eaters, in hopes that I'll be able to get in and out without fighting anyone but him. I don't know how well that will work, but if I'm cornered, I don't want to worry about hitting someone who's not an evil git. _

_I'll be back as soon as I can, and you can yell at me for not telling you the whole truth. Hopefully that won't keep you from marrying me._

_Love, _

_Harry. _

Tears poured down Ginny's cheeks silently. Hermione and Ron were staring at her, not quite knowing what to say, not entirely certain that they wanted to know where their best friend had gone. Finally Ginny raised her brown eyes to meet their hesitant gazes.

"He's gone," Ginny choked out, "And he says that we're to take care of each other."

Those sentences seemed to knock over some sort of barrier that was blocking everyone from fully knowing the truth of what Harry had done. Ron and Hermione lurched forwards towards Ginny, and pulled the red head up between them. Ron pulled the two girls back up the stairs, shielding them from view of those students who had left the Great Hall to gawk at the trio of mournful faces. They trooped through the halls, and into their common room. They collapsed as one onto the sofa, silent, torn, angry, upset, and afraid. Oh, so afraid for Harry.

So many things could go wrong…

Ginny's tears fell thicker as she bitterly thought of the last words Harry had written. Harry knew he could defeat Voldemort just because she had agreed to marry him? What an idiot! This wasn't just something that an extra bit of luck or a good feeling could fix! There was too much that could go wrong!

The time for class came and went. No one moved.

Ron stared ahead of him, dry eyed and pale. This was all his fault! If he hadn't told Harry so soon that Hermione was pregnant, then Harry would never have taken off on his own! How could he have been so stupid? If he hadn't of said those things, if he had thought for a moment about how Harry was likely to react to the newspaper article, Harry would still be here, and they would all be in charms, working far harder than could be good for them…

Lunchtime came, and still they sat.

Hermione couldn't believe all that had happened when she wasn't paying attention. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she sat there feeling guilty. If only she hadn't gotten pregnant _now_. If only she had of waited until they were certain how Harry would react to the article before she had told Ron! If only she hadn't been so selfish! She should have thought about how Harry would be affected! She should have known that he would feel like it was his fault!

"We can't just sit here!" Ron cried suddenly, driven slightly mad by his own guilt.

"What can we do?" asked Hermione desperately. "We don't know what Harry's planning, we can't risk giving him away!"

"Gin, what did that letter say?" Ron asked as he threw himself into a pacing frenzy.

"It's just a lot of useless apology and crap about why he left!" she seethed, anger getting the better part of her attention at that moment. "And in the end he sticks in something about calling all the Order members we can to the school so that they're out of the way!"

"Well," Ron said, trying to think of something to do, "We can go to McGonagall and tell her that Harry's passed us some information. We'll say that Harry found out Voldemort's going to attack the school, and we'll say that Harry wants her to call every Order member here to defend Hogwarts. McGonagall will to the work for us!"

"And why should she believe that?" demanded Ginny angrily, "Harry would never disappear when the school was in danger!"

"We'll tell her that Harry gave us our orders by letter after he left to try to head off the attack," Hermione said quietly, "That way she'll believe that we don't know where Harry is. The whole school saw us getting a letter that upset us, so we say that he told us about Voldemort's plan and that he wanted the whole Order here, if at all possible, but he didn't tell us he was going off alone. Then Harry sent us a letter telling us that he wanted us to take care of things here. That will add an element of credibility."

"That's what we'll do," Ron declared firmly, and then scrambled towards the door, Hermione striding after him.

"We can't do this!" Ginny cried, jumping to her feet by the couch. She hadn't followed Ron and Hermione when they made to leave, and was now glaring at her friends from across the room. "We can't leave Harry entirely on his own! There's got to be a few Order members where ever Harry is, we can't call them away and leave him completely alone, even if he was stupid enough to leave us behind!"

"Ginny, Harry made his choice," Ron said quietly, a little hurt by the insinuation that he didn't care about his best friend, "Now it's our turn to choose. We can either do as he asked and hope we're helping or we can sit here. I'm doing the first, you can do as you see best. But, Gin, please, if you can't help us help Harry, then at least stay out of it."

There was a tense moment of silence before Ginny hissed in frustration and then stomped off past the others and out the door. Ron and Hermione followed her out and the three walked off in search of McGonagall. However, the first person they came across wasn't their headmistress, but Neville Longbottom.

"Oh, good," said the boy with an uncertain grin, "Harmony and I were walking-"

"Harry and you were walking together?" asked Ginny in mild disbelief. She was sidetracked from their mission by the thought of her nasty, snobby roommate and the sweetly bumbling Neville doing anything together.

"A bit strange, I guess," Neville said with a slight blush and a sheepish shrug, "But I don't think she's really as horrid as she sometimes seems. She was really upset by what happened to her parents, and we started talking…"

"That's great, Nev," Ron said, remembering how Harry had dumped the sobbing girl on Neville two days before and marvelling at how well things had worked out, "But we're looking for McGonagall, so we should be going…"

"That's what I was trying to say," Neville chimed in, "McGonagall came up to Harmony and I and asked if I would come find you lot and Harry. She says that you missed all your classes before lunch and that you'd better have some sort of explanation for her. The four of you- well, three plus Harry- are supposed to see her in her office before lunch ends. She didn't sound happy, so if I were you, I wouldn't keep her waiting!"

"Thanks," Hermione said, and she and Ron began to hurry away.

"Listen," Ginny said quietly, feeling that if they were bothering to do this for Harry, they might as well do things properly, "The whole school will probably be called together soon, so I want you to stick close to Luna and the other senior DA members. I want you lot to gather all the younger students together and make sure no one is left behind, alright?"

"What's going on, Ginny?" asked Neville with a bit of a frown.

"Just promise me that you'll do it," Ginny demanded as she started after Ron and Hermione, who were now out of sight. "I haven't time to explain properly now, but I promise I will when I can!"

With that, she hurried down the hallway, heading for the headmistress's office, catching up to Ron and Hermione just outside it.

"I thought you'd abandoned us, Gin," Ron said with a half grin, squeezing his sister's hand to let her know he was only joking.

"I was just taking care of authenticity," Ginny said breezily before dropping Ron's hand and turning to Hermione, "Do we know how to get in?"

"We were just discussing that," Hermione said, "Harry was always able to figure out the password…"

"Well, then, the three of us should be able to manage," Ginny said determinedly. She still didn't like the thought of leaving Harry completely alone, but she knew that they could be saving the lives of every Order member they managed to get to the school, so she was resigned. The thought that they were doing what Harry wanted them to held a little cold comfort. "What were some of the old ones?"

"Dumbledore, Godric, sorting hat… I don't remember any others," Hermione said as Ron waited impatiently for the other two to puzzle it out. He knew they would do it, and faster than he could hope to.

"Try this," Ginny said, stepping up to the gargoyle and speaking clearly to it, "Hogwarts."

And suddenly the spiral staircase was revealed.

"Good going, Gin," Ron said with a tight grin. Now that the time had come to face McGonagall and lie flat out to her, the boy's nerves were beginning to show.

"Do you want to do the talking up there?" Hermione asked him, realizing that they should have discussed this before hand.

Ron went very pale, "Why don't you do it, Hermione?" he asked nervously.

"No," Ginny said, sighing "We need Hermione to do all the impressive little bits of magic so McGonagall will take us seriously."

"Well, what about you, Gin?" asked Ron, looking a bit sick, but nearly resigned.

"No way. I'm not really in favour of this," Ginny said, though she had bowed to the inevitable, "Besides, in the past I've always played the young one with the temper. McGonagall knows I'm fiercely loyal to Harry, but she won't take me seriously as the second in command. It's up to you, Ron."

So the three trooped up the stairs, Ron leading now with Hermione and Ginny flanking him, looking impressive and impressively bored, respectively.

"Where have you been all morning?" McGonagall asked as soon as the three stepped into her office, then more sharply, "Where's Harry?"

"He is gone," Ron said succinctly, "And he has left us orders to call for every person we can get to be brought to Hogwarts. Voldemort is planning to tackle the school, probably by the end of the night. Harry has told us to ask that you call every member of the Order here in defence of Hogwarts, because the castle can't be allowed to fall to the dark side."

McGonagall took in the three before her. All stood regally tall, looking commanding and sure of themselves, but without Harry… Without Harry they lacked some intangible that forced the professor to submit without much protest.

"What if I say its too big a risk to leave everything else unguarded?" asked McGonagall tersely.

"Then Harry has told us to take charge of the school and see that it is done," Ron stated. He was beginning to realize that mimicking Harry's trick of just assuming command was not all it took to convince the headmistress. Perhaps he should go with a different tact, but he was reluctant to switch now that he'd already began.

"And what if say that I don't take kindly to being threatened by students?" McGonagall snapped out with a bit of temper, rising from her seat.

"Then we say that you're being petty," Ginny said quietly, overriding whatever Ron had been about to say. "There's too much at risk not to act on Harry's information just because he's not here to deliver it personally."

McGonagall seemed to soften a bit. "Where is he?" This time the question was filled more with worry and concern than sharpness, so Ginny knew that they'd need to give some sort of real answer.

"Harry's gone to head off the attack, if he can," Ginny said softly, "He didn't tell us he was planning on going until he had already left. He sent us a letter with specific instructions, but we discussed the situation in other terms before he left, right after he got the information."

"This information is reliable?" asked McGonagall carefully, looking at the papers on her desk.

"Harry has the most reliable source of information on Voldemort possible, don't you think?" asked Ginny a bit sarcastically.

"But sometimes he jumps to conclusions," McGonagall said, finally meeting Ginny's eyes in an almost defiant gesture.

"After what happened at the ministry two years ago, Harry put a lot of effort into making certain anything he gleans from that source is accurate," Ginny said stonily, glaring furiously into McGonagall's eyes. "Besides, are you really willing to risk all your student's lives on the slight possibility that Harry might be mistaken?"

Silence fell as McGonagall and Ginny continued to glare at each other from across the professor's desk. Neither Ron nor Hermione dared to interrupt, though they knew that they couldn't really seem willing to wait long. If they gave McGonagall too much time to think, she might realize that they weren't too worried about calling everyone to the school before the attack. That wouldn't do, because if McGonagall grew suspicious of them, nothing would be accomplished…

The silence stretched, and then, surprising Ginny quite a bit, McGonagall looked away. The moment the teacher dropped her eyes; Ginny spoke again, quietly, firmly, and commandingly. "Now, may we please call in the Order?" she asked evenly, polite though firmly in the realm of asking as a courtesy instead of for permission.

"I'll do it," McGonagall said briskly, not quite able to look Ginny in the eyes even yet. "They'll only respond to a message from a Patronus."

"We'll divide the messages up amongst the four of us," Ginny said, "It will go much quicker that way."

"You can all cast corporeal patronuses?" gasped McGonagall, startled into meeting Ginny's eyes again.

"Of course," Ginny said with nothing in her voice but slight puzzlement at being asked such an inane question.

"And you know the spell to make them send messages?" the professor gasped out, looking around at Ron and Hermione.

This time Ginny only nodded, making it seem like the simplest task in the world, even though it was complicated magic that they had only perfected less than a week before. They had never tried to send a message outside the castle, but Ginny was confident that it would work, as both Hermione and Harry had poured over any number of thick texts to discover the theory of it before the lot of them had spent hours and hours practising it.

"I see," McGonagall said, finally pushing aside her surprise. "Well, let's get to work, then."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

Two hours later, at quarter to three, a team of the bust curse-breakers in the world had reinforced Hogwarts's defences. Offensive teams of DA members, Order members, and even several Aurors were given command of select sections of the castle and the immediate grounds, and the youngest students had been sealed in the Great Hall, protected by Molly Weasley and a surprisingly formidable army of House-elves.

Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Remus Lupin were overseeing the whole operation with help and advice from Ron, Hermione and Ginny. The last three were invaluable to the others because all of the students obeyed them without thought. Everyone knew that they had the complete confidence and trust of Harry Potter, and so their loyalty to the boy who had been training them to fight spilled over onto his chosen generals.

Unfortunately, as the day wore on, Ginny really did not feel like leading anyone, or putting forth the effort to prepare for an attack that would never come. Still, she grit her teeth and ploughed onwards. No one would guess from her actions that something was amiss with the information they had been given!

Hours passed slowly in the school. At six o'clock Mrs Weasley and the House-elves retreated to the kitchen to prepare food. The students in the Great Hall ate as they normally would, and the House-elves distributed sandwiches to those who were protecting the castle, inside and out. For a while the food seemed to restore some dwindling spirit to their make shift army, but by eleven that night everyone was listlessly waiting for something new to happen.

At midnight, the leaders gathered in the small room off the Great Hall. The members of the DA had been left in charge of the mixed army; half of the force was catching a bit of rest in sleeping bags under cover in their assigned squadron. That left most of the top Order members to gather for a strategy meeting. Ron and Hermione sat at the table on McGonagall's right, but Ginny was slumped on a bench farther down, next to Charlie, who had come all the way from the dragon reserve to answer the Order summons.

Her head had been aching all day, and she was beginning to tire of it. There was a particular place on her forehead that throb with an unbelievable annoying regularity. Her right palm, along the healing scar, was bothering her as well. It was almost… itchy…

"I don't understand what could have happened," stated Tonks in frustration, looking round at the others as though someone might offer an explanation.

"We never had much to go on," Kingsley said soothingly, "Perhaps the day was off and they'll attack tomorrow."

"If they do, I don't know if we'll be in any shape to fight them," Bill said solemnly, "Everyone is starting to get worn fairly thin with the waiting."

"Maybe that was his plan, to wear us thin," suggested one of the twins.

Ginny really wished that all this inane conversation would stop. It was hurting her head, and they'd been saying much the same things for nearly a half hour now.

"What if there wasn't a plan?" asked Remus quietly. Now that the circular and unproductive conversation was gone, Ginny wanted it back. Inane comments didn't bring them closer to the truth, but Remus's question just might…

"What do you mean?" asked McGonagall, "Of course Voldemort had a plan!"

"Well," the werewolf said, "What if Harry got it wrong?"

No one spoke, and the silence hurt Ginny's head worse because it throbbed with all the things that people weren't saying. Things about what happened at the Ministry two years before, and things about Sirius…

"Harry can't have got it wrong," argued McGonagall, "He's got a direct source of information!"

"Not one that can be trusted," argued Remus.

And suddenly, Ginny couldn't just sit there and let the words they were and weren't saying pound through her mind.

She laughed.

Everyone, including Ron and Hermione turned to stare.

"What's so funny, Gin?" Bill asked quietly after a long and awkward moment.

"You're looking in all the wrong places!" she declared, tears gathering in her eyes, the pain of her head and her hand driving her half mad. "You know from experience that the information wasn't correct, and yet you don't look to the source!"

"We are looking to the source, Ginny," Remus said quietly while everyone stared at the girl, sat in her chair, tears rolling down her face, looking a little bit insane, "We know that Harry's been tricked by Voldemort's games before, but-"

Ginny cut him off. "Harry's not the source," she said, "And neither is Voldemort."

Silence.

"Gin, who is the source?" asked Fred, when no one else dared ask it.

"I am. We are," she said, pointing from herself to Ron and Hermione, "And we've lied to you." More, and bigger tears from Ginny, shocked gasps from everyone else, except Ron and Hermione. Just more silence from them.

"What are you talking about?" demanded George sharply.

"Harry asked it," she said, "And we obeyed. I didn't want to, but Ron said that it was our time to make a choice. Harry made his when he left this morning to go and face Voldemort all on his own. He couldn't let the evil one have his pathetic excuse for a family. You see, for so long, they were all he had, so Voldemort couldn't be allowed to take them as well. And the other muggles, and the muggleborns, Harry wanted to protect them as well."

No one spoke, so Ginny staggered to her feet and went on, talking seeming to be all that was effective in keeping the pain in her head at bay. "I know all this because he wrote me a letter. Me, not Ron or Hermione, but me, little Ginny Weasley. His letter said that he was sorry, and that he loves me, and that I'm to remember him for the plaid bunnies and the orange grasshoppers and the secret affair. Not that he needed to ask that I remember those things. They are who he is, at least to me. To the rest of you, he's the Boy Who Lived. But that isn't him, not really. Harry is the Boy Who Wrote Me a Farwell Letter. That's who Harry is. He wrote about the bunnies, and the towers from where I'm to scream that I loved him, if he dies. But Harry can't die, because he's the boy who wrote the letter. He wrote about telling Ron and Hermione's baby that his Uncle Harry loves him. He wrote about wanting the world for me, and about remembering him only sometimes, and moving on. And after that he wrote that we should call you all here and tie you up here so he wouldn't hurt anyone innocent. And because Ron and Hermione are the Friends Who Are Generals, they agreed. And because I can't deny him anything, I agreed. Now we've left him to face it all on his own, but do you know what? The last thing he wrote wasn't about fighting. He wrote that he loves me."

Without any more warning than that, Ginny fell to the ground. Charlie, who had only to leap from his seat to reach her side, was the only one her heard her last murmur of half delusional chatter. "And I love him."

**A/N: Just a bit of an explanation/ apology for any dodgy writing in this chapter. It's 2:23 am where I am, and the writing bug wouldn't let me alone. I'd planned to go a bit farther with this, but I got caught up in the writing of it, so things went long, and I didn't cover as much time as I originally thought to. **

**If any reviewers would like to tell me specifically what they thought of the bit at the end, I'd welcome it! Thanks!**

**QK**


	36. Chapter 36: A Strange Exchange

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**A Strange Exchange**

"Gin? Sweetie, wake up," pleaded a desperate voice close by her ear. Her heart swelled with love and she forced words to her lips, though even just trying to open her eyes proved to be too much effort.

"Harry?" she murmured hopefully, wanting to reach out to him, to pull him tight to her, but not even managing to force her eyes open.

"I thought you said she was over him?" snapped the voice. Not Harry, then. She had to get up and find him, he needed her… But she couldn't manage to even open her eyes just now…

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

Charlie Weasley glared at his brothers, waiting for an answer. Finally, Bill cleared his throat.

"She looked me right in the eye and said she was," Bill said, wondering why he hadn't caught the lie, not knowing what a practiced deceiver his baby sister had become.

"She told you then that she loved Harry," Hermione reminded Bill, "She said that she loves him like she loves all of her family."

"Ginny's upset," Ron said in defense of his sister. "She's mad at Harry and scared that he's dead. She probably didn't even realise was she was saying."

"Was what she said wrong?" asked Remus sharply, intruding on the family fight for the first time.

"No," Ron admitted reluctantly.

"Everything she said was true?" asked Mrs Weasley dangerously, looking at her youngest son in such a way that he became extremely nervous for no reason he could articulate. "Every word of it?"

"Yes," Ron said slowly, trying desperately to figure out what had upset his mother so badly, "I think so."

"Even the part about Ron and Hermione's baby?" screeched Mrs Weasley in a voice that made the twins flinch automatically.

Ron swallowed and squared his jaw. "Mum, everyone, we've something to tell you," he began, standing behind Hermione's seated form and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Hermione is pregnant. We plan to marry in June, but we haven't picked an exact date yet because we were supposed to be going with Harry around then."

Silence followed the announcement on all sides, until Ginny moaned lightly from the floor.

"We need to get her to Madame Pomfrey," Mrs Weasley said quietly. Charlie scooped his only sister into his arms and followed his mother out of the room. Bill walked out next, trailing Fleur and barely glancing back at his little brother and the girl who would soon be his sister-in-law. Fred offered a wink and George squeezed Ron's shoulder before they too left. A moment later, Ron and Hermione went after the others out of concern for Ginny.

McGonagall, Remus, Tonks, and Kingsley were the only ones that remained at the long conference table. Five minutes later, Tonks spoke up tentatively.

"Do we send everyone home?" she asked.

"No," McGonagall replied, "We'd be endangering them and not helping Harry out any either."

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

At that moment, far, far away, Harry was both regretting his decision to come alone and very grateful for it. His carefully laid plan was unravelling, and he had no hope of back up. But still, at least Ginny and the others were safe for the time being…

What Harry really regretted, had been regretting all day, was the fact that he hadn't told Ginny his plans the moment he conceived of them. Right then, a letter seemed so inadequate. How was Ginny truly supposed to know that he really loved her and had only left her behind because he felt that he had to, if he wasn't there to make her see it? Then again, perhaps if he died, she was better off being angry with him. Maybe if he had been angry with his own parents, then he wouldn't have missed them as much. Maybe if his relatives had treated him better, he wouldn't have longed so much for his mum and dad…

What really got to Harry was that today, for the first time, he had seen another way. He had seen how his life might have been, had his aunt and mother had the chance to get over their issues before Lily's death. Harry was fairly certain that his aunt had seen that other possibility the day he left and again, earlier, in the kitchen. Harry hadn't come here expecting to do more than hide his aunt and uncle and try to take down Voldemort. That was what he had been focused on entirely.

He had stepped outside the school wards, and concentrated as hard as he could on his trick of moving from place to place instantly. He had been nervous, afraid that it wouldn't work. He and Hermione had deduced that it was a sort of rudimentary form of Apparition that was fuelled by a fierce desire to get away. It wasn't ideal for daily, but as Ginny put it, it could be 'convenient' in a pinch. Never before had Harry tried to do it purposefully, with a clear destination in mind, but he hadn't wanted to Apparate, because that could be tracked. Harry figured that that wouldn't be a problem because his way didn't seem to follow any of the normal rules. He had been able to move around Hogwarts despite its wards.

When Harry suddenly and soundlessly appeared in the kitchen at number 4, Privet Drive, he had breathed a sigh of relief, which was what caused his aunt to spin around from her sink of dishes and gasp in shock. Harry felt the momentary desire to just leave again as he glanced around the same painfully white kitchen that he had cooked meals in for eleven years of his life. But then he looked at his aunt. For once, her nose was wrinkled in distaste as she faced him. Perhaps that was just due to shock, but it was still enough to keep Harry there.

Thoughts of his mother also kept him from just writing the Dursleys off. Lily had to have loved Petunia at some point, so Harry knew that she would not want him to leave her sister defenceless before the man that had murdered Lily herself. So Harry sighed again, and then spoke up.

"Hello, Aunt Petunia," he said quietly, meeting her eyes steadily.

"How- what are you doing here?" Harry's heart began to thump strangely as he realised that her voice held no more disdain or disgust then her face did. She was looking a little startled, and a lot confused, but not the least bit upset to suddenly find her nephew in her kitchen.

"I've come to warn you," Harry began a bit uncertain of what to expect from his aunt at this point, "And to offer to protect you, if you'll let me."

"Is this about him?" Petunia asked, fear in her words, "Voldemort?"

"Yes," Harry said, inwardly marvelling at the continued lack of malice he was receiving from his aunt, "He's been targeting muggles in the last few days, trying to find my- well, you."

"What do I do?" Petunia asked, colour draining from her face.

"Call Uncle Vernon home from work," Harry ordered softly, "I'll send you to stay at my godfather's house. You can wait things out there."

Petunia had already turned to go before the words really registered. When she realised the implications of Harry's orders, she turned back to her nephew.

"You're not coming with us?" she asked. This time there was absolutely no mistaking the lack of disgust in her tone. His Aunt hadn't wrinkled up her nose at the sight of him, or screamed, and now she was talking to nicely, taking his orders and asking him if he would be accompanying them. She even sounded like she actually wished that he were, like she cared the least little bit.

"No," Harry replied, "It's time I ended this."

Petunia actually winced. "I don't suppose I have much right to point out that you'll have a tough time on your own?"

"I don't suppose that you have that right," Harry replied, "But believe me, I know. He's murdered my parents, and a lot of other great men and women. He won't be beaten easily."

"I don't know if you this," Petunia began slowly, "But you have your mother's eyes." She looked firmly at the floor, as though she expected Harry to shout at her for saying that.

"I hear that all the time from the people who knew her," Harry commented. He had in fact, heard it so many times that he was quite weary of it, but somehow, it was different to hear it from his aunt. It made him feel even more connected to his mother.

Harry's quiet response seemed to have given Petunia a bit of confidence. "That's the reason I agreed to let you stay," Petunia admitted. "By the time she was twelve, my sister and I were not at all close, but with your eyes, you reminded me of Lily when she was younger, when she was the big sister I adored. Before everything went wrong.'

'Vernon wanted to send you away, but I couldn't do it when I looked at your eyes."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. He just watched as his aunt turned and left. He heard her speaking quietly into the phone in the living room, presumably calling her husband home from work, like Harry had suggested. Then she walked up the stairs, and the sound of a door creaking open filled the silent house.

A half hour later, Harry was sitting at the kitchen table, carefully going over his plans in his mind when Petunia returned. She now had three suitcases with her that she set down just inside the doorway before going to hover barely inside the kitchen. But this wasn't the judgemental hovering that Harry was used to, but more a sign of just how unsure of herself and her welcome she was at that moment.

"You and I have something in common," Harry said suddenly, still looking straight ahead of him instead of at the bony women. No reply came, but that was better by far in Harry's book than the vehement denial that he had half been expecting. "It was my mother that saved us both."

"Lily didn't save me," Petunia said, not dismissingly exactly, but sort of wistfully, and a bit questioningly.

"I suppose I should say she made it possible for you to save yourself," Harry conceded, "I probably wouldn't have come back to protect you without her rings."

Silence followed, stretching until Harry turned to look at his aunt. She had the strangest look on her face…

"What is it?" he asked tensely, wondering where this strange day was next headed.

"I'm trying to deny to myself that the nicest thing I've ever done for my only nephew was to give him something that wasn't mine to give or keep," Petunia said quietly, "And I can't think of one thing."

"Well, I'm fairly certain you kept Uncle Vernon from killing me in my sleep or something," Harry said with a small half smile, "That's a nice thing, in my books."

Petunia dropped her gaze. "I should have done more," she muttered, "Lily would have done more for my son."

Harry said nothing. He suspected that Petunia hadn't really thought of him as Lily's son for much of his childhood, or at least, not the son of the sister that she had loved, but rather the 'freak' that she had hated. Harry supposed that that was where the real trouble had always been. He was that freak's son. He was weird and different. He didn't fit in with the perfect life that Petunia Dursley wanted so desperately. But now, for the first time, Harry wondered _why _normalcy was so important to his aunt. What had made her turn away from her 'abnormal' sister? Suddenly, Harry had to know. Maybe he was just trying to find a way to explain his horrid childhood, but he had to know what had made things the way they had been for his whole life.

"Why," Harry began slowly "Did you hate my mother so much?"

Petunia flinched. "I didn't hate her. At least, not always, and not for very long…"

"What pulled you two apart then?" Harry prompted, giddy with relief that Petunia was actually answering his questions for once in his life.

"We lived out in the country when we were little. We had no close neighbours, no friends our age, so we were everything to each other…" Petunia began sadly, jerkily. Harry didn't interrupt, but he wasn't really certain where she was going with this. "Even at school, we always played together, though there were other friends too, I suppose. Then, when Lily turned eleven, and everything changed. She got her letter, and went away to school. All that year we missed each other, and wrote letters and planned for the next year, when I would get my letter and we would go to Hogwarts together, and everything would go back to the way it was supposed to be. But that didn't happen, because I never got a letter."

Harry wondered it he should tell her not to go on. Petunia looked very shaken, like every word was killing her a bit more, and there were tears in her eyes. But his need to know was so strong that he knew he would let her talk until she stopped.

"After that, neither of us knew what to say to the other. I spent a good three months crying that year…" Petunia trailed off, wrapping her arms about herself for the cold comfort of it. Harry stood and pushed out the chair across from his, gesturing for his aunt to sit and fetching her a box of tissues from the counter. She smiled weakly and him as he sat down again.

"After a while, I got tired of crying. I decided that I didn't need to be a witch, and then that I didn't want to be a freak like Lily. I convinced myself that I was better off. I spent the rest of my life trying to be entirely normal. I've been depressingly good at it," she finished, wiping away her tears. "I was determined to never again be involved with any thing the least bit odd or magical, ever again, and unfortunately, that 's how I always saw you." She smiled waveringly at her nephew.

Harry nodded curtly at his aunt. He didn't exactly forgive her for all the unpleasantness of his early life, but he felt more able to move on from it then he had ever had before. So his childhood had been less than ideal, that only meant that there was a lot of room for things to get better.

Suddenly there was a crash from the hallway, and a roar of "Petunia!". The mood in the kitchen shattered even before the 'master' of the house had been home a full minute. Petunia reflexively jumped to her feet and rushed to greet her husband. Harry stood, going to watch the pair from the kitchen doorway.

"What's the bloody emergency?" snarled the familiar voice.

"Well, Harry came to warn us that we're in danger," began Petunia worriedly, "And he's offered to hide us."

"What do we that boy for?" growled Vernon Dursley, "We can escape his lot without his help!"

"Sure," Harry began sarcastically, without thinking, "Just like you managed to escape from the letters I was being sent before I started school." Harry nearly sneered at his uncle. Vernon stiffly turned to glare at his wife's nephew.

"You can just get out of my house!" he pronounced, turning a strange, red-purple colour the instant he spotted Harry.

"Not that I really want to be here," Harry began through gritted teeth, "But I rather object to having my relatives cursed into a million pieces by an evil maniac."

Vernon swelled with rage, but before he could even begin to yell, something surprising happened. Petunia spoke up.

"You're being a short sighted fool!" she snapped at her husband, "We don't know what we're up against, but Harry does! He's even offered to help us; though we certainly don't deserve it after the way we treated him! Now, I'm going to do exactly what my nephew asks of me, and hope that he doesn't get hurt just to save our necks. Are you coming with me or not?"

Vernon never got the chance to decide because Harry just grabbed their suitcases and an arm each belonging to his aunt and uncle and transported them all to Grimmauld Place, all before his uncle could do more than stand staring gob smacked at his wife. When they arrived, Petunia looked around wildly, taking in the slightly dusty, old-fashioned basement kitchen.

"Feel free to take one of the bedrooms on the first floor. If anyone turns up and gives you a hard time, tell them that Prongs' son brought you and that you're to be treated well," Harry told his aunt, ignoring his uncle, who had barely managed to stagger to a chair and sit down heavily. He didn't speak, only sat looking dazed and winded.

Petunia nodded, then began to speak waveringly, "Thank you, Harry." He only smiled tightly in response. "I- I know you've done more than we deserve already, but I was wondering, if you would…"

"Yes?" prompted Harry warily when his aunt trailed off.

"Would you mind checking on Dudley?" asked Petunia hesitantly.

"Alright," Harry said, knowing how horrible it was to just sit and worry about someone you loved.

"He's away at school," Petunia said in obvious relief.

"Right," said Harry, "Do you want him brought here?"

"No, no," Petunia said, "I doubt he'll want to leave. He's got a wrestling match coming up. Could you just check on him?"

"I'll do that," Harry said, disappearing upstairs in hopes of catching a moment's peace in which to take in the events of the last hour or so. He really didn't know what to think about his relatives any more. Well, except for Uncle Vernon. The man was his usual, bullying, unpleasant self. The dependability of that horribleness was nearly comforting.

But that was hardly the point right at that moment, because he had to get on with his plan to lure Voldemort to Privet Drive. There was much to be done, so Harry left the Sirius' s house and went back to the kitchen of Privet Drive.

He had carefully thought out the next phase of his plan already, but Harry was sure to slowly go over it once again, just to make sure that he wasn't going to mess anything up. His plans were delicate, but they should work. Harry frowned, hoping that nothing would go wrong… after all, Harry had learned how to force a specific idea into Voldemort's mind mostly just to avoid having it done to him again. There was no guarantee that he and Hermione had even properly worked out to do it. Ginny had seemed certain that they had it wrong, but there hadn't been any way to test the results safely.

Harry sighed and cleared his mind. He focused hard on the imaginary scene that he had constructed in his mind, and then focused on pushing it into his enemy's consciousness.

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

Thousands of miles away, a very irate dark lord was glaring at a map of England's muggle towns. There were simply to many to keep smashing on the way he was, hoping to hit Potter's family. There was no reason that they should be magically hidden from him no, but that's what made finding them difficult. They weren't hidden by magic, so they couldn't be traced by it. Voldemort had no real way of distinguishing the Dursley's from any of the pathetic muggle neighbours other than Wormtail's vague recollections from the one time he had seen Petunia Dursley as a human and the few times he'd briefly glimpsed them as a rat on platform nine and three quarters.

Then, quite suddenly, Voldemort was seeing something that wasn't quite there, like a hazy vision imposed over the map. He shut his eyes and the picture became clearer.

_The boy was rushing into a spotless muggle kitchen. He ran to a woman at the sink, and grabbed her arm. _

"_Aunt Petunia," he cried out, "Voldemort's going after muggles and I'm afraid he'll find Number four Privet Drive next! You've got to get Uncle Vernon and get out of here!"_

"_We can't leave our home!" she wailed in tears, "Besides, aren't there wards to protect us here?"_

"_There are," the boy said, looking less panicked, "I suppose that if I stay as well, you might be safe. But you had better call Uncle Vernon home. He'll be safer here with us."_

The vision ended as abruptly as it began when the boy got his mind in calmer order. Lord Voldemort chuckled coldly. The boy was making this almost easy. He could obliterate the foolish child and most of his family all at the same time.

**_HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHP_**

Two hours later, Harry looked around the kitchen in hopes of finding something light to eat. He knew that he had done all he could for now, and that he needed to keep his attention off the coming confrontation if he planned on being sane when it began. It was hard, this waiting. Never before had he had much warning before he was pulled into a difficult situation, and he didn't know quite what to do with this advanced warning that he hadn't already done.

Harry found himself longing for Ginny. He missed her, but he was also afraid that she'd never want to see him again after what he had done. He still believed that he was only doing what was necessary, but he worried over the repercussions. But, then again, the repercussions of not acting would have been worse.

His thoughts wandered to the week that Ginny had spent here with him nearly a year ago. They had such fun, even though they had spent most of the time just talking in his bedroom, and later, most of their time in his bedroom not talking. Harry could scarcely believe that this was possibly where the final battle he would ever face Voldemort in would take place. Privet Drive had always seemed like such a ruthlessly non-magical place, it seemed impossible that such an important event to the wizarding community could take place in this environment.

He had faced many hardships here, being locked in his cupboard, tortured by Dudley and his gang, and bullied by Uncle Vernon, but he also had a few happy memories to combat that with. He had, after all, just had his first real conversation with Aunt Petunia here only hours before.

Harry made him self a sandwich and then settled on the hallway steps, still thinking of what had taken place between himself and his aunt. He had the feeling that nothing had really changed, and yet, that everything had. He began to wonder what would happen if he were to survive this, in terms of his relatives. Perhaps he could sometimes visit Aunt Petunia, when Uncle Vernon wasn't around. Maybe she would even like to meet Ginny…

But that was begging a lot of questions. Like, would Ginny forgive him? Had his aunt really changed? And could he really let go of everything his aunt hadn't done for him as a child?

Harry spent most of the rest of that long afternoon thinking on those steps. He made himself a few more sandwiches around three, and they were gone soon after. By four o'clock, Harry was all but napping as he waited for something to happen.

In the last hours, he had begun to think that perhaps Voldemort hadn't believed the vision Harry had shown him. But, at precisely ten o'clock, Harry felt something trip the silent alarm that he had set up in the street. He quickly covered himself in the invisibility cloak and hurried to the window, stealthily peeking outside. The Death Eaters were spread in a circle around the house, with Voldemort facing the front pathway.

For two hours, little happened. Harry's enemy was obviously laying his plans, carefully contemplating his next move. Finally, near midnight, Voldemort sent one lone follower up the path towards the house. Nagini also slithered towards number four, which was more than Harry had hoped for, but she stopped just short of actually coming inside. Harry slid back from the door, knowing that the cloak would keep him hidden from the Death Eater so long he kept from tripping over anything or making too much noise.

The Death Eater glanced around the house, and then slipped off the mask, which was impairing his vision quite a bit. Harry's blood boiled as he saw the hooked nose of his former potions professor. He couldn't believe that Snape dared to enter his house after killing Dumbledore!

"Take off that Cloak, boy, and tell me what you're planning," Snape hissed, "The Dark Lord won't remain patiently outside forever and unless I'm wrong, you're entirely without allies here."

"What if I said you were wrong?" Harry asked, using a spell that Ron had found in a book about entertainers to throw his voice so it sounded like it came from the living room.

"I wouldn't believe you'd risk their lives," Snape said, "You Gryffindors are all foolish like that."

That was enough for Harry. He shot a stunner at Snape that the man just barely blocked.

"Now you've done it!" hissed the greasy haired man, "You've brought him down on us, you foolish boy!"

Before Harry could reply, the front door flew off its hinges and Lord Voldemort appeared, Nagini at his feet.

"You've used up your last chance, Severus!" Voldemort declared coolly, bringing up his wand to aim at Snape.

Snape's wand came up fast, probably fast enough to save himself from any other curse, but he didn't even try to block this one. Instead, with one slick severing curse, he split the snake in two.

Harry's heart jumped the last Horcrux was gone. He brought up his wand before Voldemort had even the chance to take a breath after killing Snape and aimed it at where another foe would have a heart. Harry tried to force the words for the spell out of his lips, but he couldn't. Somehow, Harry couldn't shake the thought that if he said those two words and killed another living being, he would become no better than the man who had murdered his parents.

It was then that Harry knew that no matter what Voldemort did, he would never be able to kill him with that curse, and that was the horrible, unforeseen flaw in his plan.

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I'd just like to say sorry for the long delays in both replying to reviews and updating. I can't promise that it won't happen agian, but I can try to make sure it doesn't! Thanks for the patients, and everyone's reveiws will be replied to, I promise!

QK


	37. Chapter 37: His Reward

**A/N: Alright, this super long chapter is a peace offering of sorts to try to make up for the horrific wait between this chapter and the last. The only excuse I have is I find writing this sort of thing more difficult than most the other parts of the story. **

**Special Note: Thanks to all my reviewers, especially the fifty or so who are still waiting for replies to thier reviews! I'm sorry, I like to answer reviews when I'm in the mood to consider everything everyone has to say, and I haven't really been in that mood of late. I hate just typing 'thanks' to a review!**

**Chapter Thirty-seven**

**The Reward**

Ron watched his little sister lying silently on her hospital bed, occasionally twitching as though trying to elude some attack. She was often frowning deeply, sometimes grimacing in pain, and always oblivious to her brother's concerned presence.

Ron had been at her bedside for the last half hour alone, peeling an apple with a small knife, trying hard not to think about his family's reaction to the fact that he had gotten his girlfriend- fiancé, now – pregnant. He hadn't expected them to take the news easily, but this cold and distant disapproval was nearly killing him. What was worse, Hermione was feeling guilty for being in the centre of the tension between Ron and his family. She had started crying when Mrs Weasley had walked into the hospital wing to check on Ginny and had immediately turned away from the sight of Ron and Hermione at the girl's side. Ron had sent her up to get some rest and probably would have gone with her, had he felt less guilty about leaving Ginny alone.

She may have been the one to spill the beans to their family, but Ron cared about his little sister too much to let that keep him away while she was so clearly exhausted and worried.

Ron, tired of watching the pain his sister was trapped in, trailed his eyes over the spiralling apple skin. The shiny red coil was making slow progress downwards, drawing his gaze along its lightly curling length. Ron found that he couldn't stop the continuous peeling, even when he began to cut the flesh of the apple away. Sometime it felt like his life was a bit like that apple, all the bright parts slipping away from him slowly, taking a bit of his flesh, his heart with them…

Ron looked up suddenly when the doors at the other end of the ward swung open to reveal Bill. Neither Weasley said anything until the elder brother was facing the younger from across their sister's bed. Ron quietly set down both apple and knife on the table closest to him, the one on the left side of Ginny's bed.

"So, little brother," Bill began when Ron had settled quietly back into his chair, "Got yourself in a bit of trouble, did you?"

Ron frowned coldly, "No, I didn't. That's not the way I see this at all."

"You could very well be alone in that opinion," Bill said, eyes on Ginny and not Ron.

"What do you mean?" Ron growled menacingly, glaring daggers at his eldest brother's averted face.

"I mean that Mum seems pretty concerned that you've screwed up royally. Seems to think that you've ruined your own future and that of your little girlfriend," Bill said, still not accusingly, but far from supportively.

"Hermione's my fiancé, not my girlfriend," Ron grated out with a terrific scowl. "And we would have gotten married anyway, even without the baby."

"You can't really say that for certain," Bill said, still studying Ginny's troubled visage. When he was met only by silence, he glanced up at his younger brother for the first time. What he saw in the younger boy's face shocked him a bit. "You really believe that you would have been with this girl ten years down the line, even if this hadn't happened?"

"Hermione and I are meant to be together," Ron said, glaring ferociously and sounding nearly defiant. "We'd have been together forever no matter what did or didn't happen."

"Ron, you're seventeen!" cried Bill, "You honestly think that you know what love is? You think that you can tell you'll be with this girl forever?"

"Of course I can tell that we'll be together forever," Ron said, hands clenched in fists and held rigidly at his sides. "Hermione's my best friend. Not being with her would be wrong."

"Merlin, I don't know what it is with you younger ones," Bill muttered to himself in utter disbelief.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, feeling affronted even as he watched his brother turn away and run his hands through his long hair in frustration.

"It means that I don't understand how you and Ginny seem to want to believe that you met your soul mates when you were eleven!" Bill cried out, trying to convey how much it concerned him that his younger siblings seemed willing to settle down to quickly. Bill sometimes worried about what he was missing out on now that he was married. He couldn't imagine the experiences that his younger siblings were giving up out of hand.

"Maybe you're just jealous that we did meet our soul mates when we were that young!" countered Ron angrily, "Besides, I'm hardly eleven anymore, and if I choose to spend the rest of my life with Hermione, I don't see what business it is of anyone else's!"

Ron stomped to the other end of the ward, hotly pursued by his elder brother. Just outside the doorway, Bill reached out and spun Ron around to face him again.

"Look," he began, looking a bit contrite, "Maybe I shouldn't have said those things, but do you really think that being with only one person from the time you're eleven is a good thing? Do you think it's healthy that Ginny's had a crush on Harry since practically before she could talk? Can you honestly say that's what you think?"

"You know what I think? I think that love, in whatever form it takes, is a positive thing," Ron snarled, his attitude not quite matching his peaceable words, "And I think that you're just jealous that there's nothing to your wife except a pretty face and a lot of high handed manners!"

Bill looked ready to punch Ron now, which Ron actually saw as a positive because he had been ready to go at it with his brother from the moment he opened his big mouth in the hospital wing. Still, aware of superior years and weight, Ron managed to hang back. He also had the vague feeling that his mother might actually kill him if he got into a fistfight with his brother at school, especially when everyone was already so worried.

"Look, Bill," Ron grated out after counting to twenty twice, "I want to make something perfectly obvious to you. I love Hermione, and I always will. I don't really know what's going on with Ginny and Harry, except that my little sister is currently extremely worried about my best mate, to the point where she has exhausted herself and is currently passed out. I don't care what you think I'm missing by marrying young, or what you seem to feel you've missed by marrying Fleur. I know that I'm right, and I know that I love Hermione, and that she loves me. And, most importantly, I know that that is all I really need to know."

The youngest of the pair turned with military precision and stomped off, stiff arms ending in hard fists, held tight to his sides. Bill just stared as Ron walked away. The eldest Weasley was considering going after Ron, either to knock the proper respect into him or to apologize, when he heard a hear-rending shriek from the ward behind him. Bill whipped around, fumbling for the door. By the time he had managed to rip it open and get just inside the ward, he was frozen with horror. Ginny was panting and twitching on the bed, and then, suddenly, she lunged for something on the table to her left. Bill saw, with a terrible, morbid fascination, the flash of a silver blade as Ginny slashed it across her own right hand with a jerky left-handed movement. Impossibly, the torturous pain seemed to leave the lines of her body as the gash was opened.

Bill then rushed to Ginny's side and wrenched the weapon from her hand. But by that time, she had already slid back to sleep, a tiny, self-satisfied smile on her lips.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Quite suddenly, on the floor of Number Four Privet Drive's formerly spotless kitchen, Harry Potter began to feel a whole lot better about his extremely unpleasant position.

There was really no discernable reason for this, especially considering the fact that he had only just had just managed to throw off the torturous pain that Voldemort was levelling at him. He supposed that he could simply be revelling in the sudden end of the nerve smashing hurt, but it felt better than even that. But as he was unable to trace the sudden source of what could only be called hope, Harry decided to forget that and concentrate on his situation, which was still decidedly desperate, regardless of a vague hopeful feeling.

Early on in the fit, his enemy had managed to inflict some minor damage, but considering his standing as the most evil dark lord of the modern area, comparatively little. The real damage to Harry's defence was the fact that his wand had been knocked away from him roughly an hour before, when some flying debris had hit him, snapping his right wrist. Since then, Voldemort had been toying with him, making Harry pay for managing to defy him for so long.

Now, though, something had forced the pain from Harry's body and he was panting on the floor, with that strange and sudden hope surging through him. There had to be a way out of this, there just had to be.

But Harry was out of time to think up that idea. His nemesis had just stepped towards him, towering over the badly hurt teenager. Harry knew by the horrid glint in the red eyes before him that he probably wouldn't live through the next dose of pain. He gritted his teeth, and tried to sit up. That didn't pan out, so Harry was forced to roll over onto his stomach. Bracing all his weight on his left hand, to spare the broken right wrist, Harry came to the sudden startling conclusion that somehow he had missed receiving a hugely painful slash to that palm, right overtop the scar that had been left in the wake of his vow that Ginny was the only girl for him. Harry winced, but managed to lurch to his feet and stand facing Voldemort across a few feet of distance. He felt winded and unprepared for a fight, but at least it was better than crouching at the feet of the man bent on murdering him.

"So, little boy, there is still some fight left in you?" questioned the high cold voice of an evil maniac. Harry responded only with a slight sneer that he hoped would bug his foe. "Well, I'm am glad of that. Should I have defeated you any more easily than this, I would have been severely disappointed in all my past efforts to do so."

"So you think that I'm just here for the purpose of amusing the scummy likes of you?" spat Harry, trying to forget that he didn't have a wand or any other weapon beyond his own brain and cunning. The only other time that he ever felt this intellectually incapable was when he listened to Hermione talk about something he didn't get…

"You should be very glad that I find you amusing," Voldemort chided gently, "Otherwise you would be dead long since!"

"What makes you think you can kill me now, if you couldn't when I was a baby?" asked Harry, who had some vague idea that a plan might come to him, if he could distract Voldemort long enough.

"There is no foolish woman here to die for you this time," Voldemort declared, sounding angry to be reminded of the fact that he had been suppressed for fourteen years by the love a muggleborn bore her son.

"I don't need anyone to die for me, and I don't want anyone to either," Harry countered, desperately grasping for a plan.

"Oh? Then if your little red haired girlfriend were here, then you would, let's say, die for her?" Voldemort sounded very pleased with himself as he said it.

"I haven't got a girlfriend," Harry said, trying to keep from giving away the fear those words had caused in him, ignore the pain shooting through his wrist and come up with a plan all in one.

"But you did have one, I am told. The youngest girl of a family of blood traitors, according to the Malfoy boy," Voldemort said, much to Harry's absolute horror. Voldemort knew who Ginny was. If Harry couldn't come up with some way of stopping the maniac, then Ginny was as good as dead. "Have you any last words to say to her? I shall make sure to deliver the message after you die."

The cold smile on the reptilian face didn't chill Harry as much as it normally would have, but that's only because his insides were already frozen with terror for Ginny.

"I doubt you'll live long enough to tell her or anyone else anything," Harry stated boldly, though he wasn't at all certain of that.

"Very well, boy, I gave you a chance. Now, prepare to meet your death, and rest assured that I'll tell the girl that you died nobly, if stupidly." And with that, Voldemort raised his wand and levelled it at Harry's chest.

Harry knew that there was nothing he could do, except square his shoulders and face death. He intended to be standing tall when it came. _I'm sorry I failed you, Ginny,_ he thought. Suddenly her face, eyes closed, tears streaming, filled his vision. Before Harry could react to that, a bright flash of green light blinded him, and he threw up his left, bleeding hand reflexively.

In the next moment, there was deathly silence. Voldemort said nothing, just looked at the pale teenager who had been forced to the ground.

Before the Dark Lord recovered from the shock of what he had seen, Harry brought up his still bleeding hand, and looked at it in awe.

Somehow, the force of Voldemort's Avada Kedavra had been absorbed by a sort of force field that seemed to stem from Harry's bleeding palm. Harry looked at it in wonder for a second before concluding that now was a time for action, not deliberation. He focused his mind on the power he could feel throbbing just beyond his grasp and forced it back towards Voldemort. The light was white now, instead of the sickly green, and when the force made contact with Voldemort, he shrieked in pain and cringed back a step. He tripped over a shadowy lump that Harry suddenly recognized as Snape's dead body. Not long before, that man had done something incredibly brave, and now, in death he managed to trip Voldemort up, so that the snake-like wizard collapsed in a graceless heap.

Voldemort writhed around in pain, trying his damnedest to evade the hot, burning energy that Harry was focusing on him. And then, he knew that it was too late for him. He was going to die, despite all the safeguards he had set against that, and he was going to do it at the hands of a mere boy, and an unknown curse. Oh, what Voldemort wouldn't have given in that moment for some recourse, some way to at the very least take the boy with him when he died!

But there was only one final thing he could do before he had to succumb to his fate. He grasped at the arm of the man he had so recently killed, and fumbled for the tattoo that was etched there forever. Voldemort pressed his thumb to it and hissed a command in Parseltongue that he had never expected to have to use.

Then, with his last act of malice done, Voldemort turned to his young foe and forced himself to meet green eyes that were wide with surprise and hard with hate. "Do not think that your victory is complete with my death. I have many followers, many loyal friends. They will continue to do my work, they will see that the filthy mudbloods and bloodtraitors are destroyed! They will-"

The weak hissings were suddenly cut off as Voldemort uttered a terrible, high, scream and finally died.

Harry dropped his hands to his sides and the power around him dissipated. He was left in complete numb shock, feeling only a distant, empty sort of petty when he looked at the two dead men and the severed snake in front of him.

For a few moments, Harry felt a vague need to throw up, but that eventually passed. Silently, he trudged up the stairs, leaving the mess in his hallway behind him. Harry had only two thoughts as he trudged into the smallest bedroom, which had been his since shortly before his eleventh birthday.

The first was that it was amazing that the whole conflict had been contained in the entrance way, and the second was that his aunt would kill him when she saw the bloodstains on the carpet where Nagini still lay.

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Harry slept for a day and a half. When he woke up, he was ravenous, and slightly stiff, because the mattress on his old bed sagged in the middle and had several uncooperative springs that insisted on poking him in the back no matter which way he turned. His first thought, as he glanced around the bedroom was vaguely along the lines of getting up to start breakfast for the Dursleys. Then he realised that the Dursleys weren't there to eat it.

It wasn't until he tried to remember where his aunt and her family were that he remembered the conflict from the early hours of the previous day. Harry glanced about him, and his eyes lit on the alarm clock that he had repaired seven years previously. It was two o'clock in the afternoon, and Harry knew that he had to get up and do some things. For starters, there was a very large mess in the hallway.

And suddenly, it was even more urgent that Harry get up, because the nauseous feeling had returned, and this time Harry didn't even try to fight it back. His stomach rid itself of mostly nothing as he hadn't eaten since four, two days ago, and his mind tried very hard to rid itself of images of Voldemort laying dead on top of Snape, only a few feet away from the mangled corpse of a giant snake.

Harry lingered upstairs a half hour more, washing up a bit in the upstairs bathroom (and rediscovering every injury, including his broken wrist, in the process), not wanting to face that scene again for real on his way to the kitchen. He finally did it, trying not to look as he hurried past. Harry didn't really know what to do about that mess. He knew he couldn't bring his aunt back her with the dead still in front of the front door, but Harry couldn't think of anyway of disposing of them on his own. He supposed he could go to McGonagall, but Harry didn't feel ready to face anyone back at school. He had the suspicious feeling that everything that had happened really hadn't registered yet, and that it would when he was back at Hogwarts. Harry thought of Remus suddenly. The older wizard was possibly the best person for Harry to try and contact because he didn't ask a lot of questions, and he was, after all, Harry's guardian, wasn't he? Besides, Remus could probably get Tonks or some other Auror to deal with the dead.

So, with that thought in mind, Harry began to think about where he could find the former professor. He finally decided to send him a message via patronus. But Harry didn't like the idea of staying in Privet Drive to wait for a response, so he decided to go to Grimmauld Place first. Which reminded Harry that he had yet to check on his cousin, as his aunt had asked him to. Harry decided that he would do that first, because he had promised to, and then go to his godfather's house.

The problem was, that Harry wasn't quite certain where Smeltings, Dudley's school, was located. By the time Harry had searched through all the kitchen drawers and finally found a paper with the school's information on it, an hour had passed, and he truly needed to find something to eat. So he raided the refrigerator and put together a rough meal, awkwardly using his left hand to spare the broken wrist that he had bound with a torn sheet in hopes of not damaging it more before he saw a healer. Finally, Harry felt ready to leave. Except that he didn't have his invisibility cloak, which was likely somewhere in the hall still. Harry didn't really feel like going back in the hall to get it. So Harry reached for his wand, thinking to summon the cloak.

With a uncomfortable drop in the vicinity of his stomach, Harry remembered seeing his wand clatter away in the direction of the living room when his wrist was broken. So, seeing no alternative, Harry dashed through the hallway, passed the carnage and into the living room. After two very frustrating hours, Harry finally found his wand wedged under a bookshelf. Harry might have looked there sooner, but he hadn't thought the space under the shelf was large enough to accommodate the wand. Nearly crying tears of relief, Harry summoned the cloak, disappeared under it and with no further delays, Apparated to his cousins school.

Harry arrived a half-hour before dinner in their Dining Hall was cleared. Harry had quickly spotted his cousin, and decided that he would have to wait until he could catch him alone to check on him and perhaps fill him in a little. Harry wasn't certain what he would say, but he felt that he should at least mention to his big bully of a cousin that his parents had temporarily relocated. Besides, Harry didn't really think it counted as checking on Dudley just to watch the pig like boy scarf down enormous amounts of food from across the room. Dudley could be fleeing for life and still stop for something to eat, so Harry felt the only way to honestly tell his aunt that her son was alright was to ask the blonde pig himself.

So Harry trailed Dudley until he excused himself to go to the washroom, then finally pulled off the cloak. The first smile Harry had smiled since defeating his foe formed on his lips as he saw Dudley's terrified eyes register his cousin's sudden appearance.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped, roughly shoving the smaller boy aside.

"I am checking on you, as per your mother's request," Harry said, doggedly catching up with his ape of a cousin. "Are you alright?"

"Why should I tell you?" asked Dudley, stopping in the dark hallway to look at Harry.

"Because your mother sent me to make sure that you haven't been captured by death eaters or killed like hundreds of other muggles recently," Harry grated out, wondering why he couldn't have just said 'no' to his aunt. Its not like he really owed her anything.

"Keep it down!" Dudley admonished, glancing around, making sure that no one had overheard any part of his conversation with his freaky cousin.

"Whatever, just tell me you're alright so I can tell Aunt Petunia that you don't want to come stay in my dead Godfather's house, alright?" Harry asked in a heated whisper, really wanting to get away from his cousin now.

"Why would mum think I want to stay in your godfather's house?" Dudley asked suspiciously. He was far from brilliant, but he had picked up on that oddity.

"Because that where she and Uncle Vernon have been for the last two days, since Voldemort laid siege to Privet Drive at my invitation," Harry sighed, resigned to continuing the conversation.

"You invited a maniac to attack our house?" asked Dudley, grabbing at Harry's arms as if to shake some sense into him.

"Yeah, it was a trap," Harry explained, gritting his teeth as Dudley jarred his broken wrist, "It worked, too, if you're interested. I killed the Dark Tosser. Of course, not before he murdered my Potions Professor and not before Professor Snape killed Voldemort's pet snake."

"You killed someone?" laughed Dudley, "You?"

"Yeah, using this," Harry hissed harshly, drawing his wand on his cousin, using his left hand because his right one really wanted to do nothing but hang limply at his side for the moment.

Dudley immediately relinquished his grip on his cousin and began to back away. "Look, Harry, buddy, just- just tell mum I'm alright, okay? Tell her I'm just going to stay here," stuttered Dudley.

"Fine, have it your way," Harry snapped, too fed up to even find Dudley quivering from fear amusing. He popped away soundlessly in his not-quite-apparating way so that he could slide around the wards on Sirius's house.

When he appeared in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, he was welcomed by a shriek and the tinkling of shattered china as his aunt dropped her tea cup.

"Hello, Aunt Petunia," Harry said tiredly, not sure if he could put up with his relatives just then, but knowing that he should try.

"Harry!" She cried, "What's happened?"

So Harry told her everything. He just sat down and began to talk, not caring that it was his magic-shy aunt he was talking to. Harry felt entirely incapable of doing anything but sitting at the kitchen table and talking while he ate the food his aunt put in front of him. When he was done with his story, including his talk with Dudley, Harry stared contemplatively down at the plate. Usually his aunt's meals were better…

"Sorry," she said with a faint blush when she saw the directions of his gaze, "There's not much food in this place to work with."

"Oh," Harry said, yawning widely. He should probably send a note to Remus…

"Maybe you should go up to bed," Petunia suggested gently.

Harry nodded, not bothering to make any other response. He got up and headed for the stairs, but paused when he drew level with his aunt. He leaned toward her slightly, and kissed her cheek. He hadn't done that since he was a very small boy, Harry recalled. He had stopped because she had flinched every time he had done it in the past, but this time she just stood there.

That, more then his mother's rings or any of the words that had passed between them, gave Harry the tiniest bit of hope for their future relationship.

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Very early the next morning, Harry woke up in the bedroom that Ginny had picked out for him last summer, feeling as though he had forgotten to do something. Remembering suddenly, Harry sat up and sent his patronus off with a message for Remus. Harry considered getting up, but found that the idea didn't appeal to him at all. So, instead, Harry lay down again and fell back to sleep nearly instantly.

Several hours later, Harry was awoken as someone burst into his room. "Harry?" cried a voice, haggard and worry-filled.

Harry sat up, squinting around him. Before he could so much as locate his glasses, he found himself caught in a fierce hug. When the large person pulled back, Harry fumbled so that he could see the person through the round lenses. Remus sat beside him, tears running down his cheeks.

"What's wrong?" asked the teen, his stomach plummeting.

"We all thought you were dead!" he cried, looking very emotional still.

"Why?" asked Harry, rather surprised. Sure he had been gone a couple days, but wouldn't a sudden cease to dark activities sort of send the message that Voldemort was gone, and not Harry? Perhaps everyone thought that they had killed each other?

"Well, we didn't hear from you, and then, when the Death Eaters attacked the castle, it seemed like Voldemort was making a final move after k-killing you," Remus explained, seizing Harry in another hug before the words were all out.

"Wait a minute!" cried Harry, panic stricken at the mention of an assault on the castle, pushing his friend away, "Voldemort attacked Hogwarts? He couldn't have, I killed him!"

"Are you certain? We didn't find him in the aftermath of the battle, but we thought that he had just escaped! Are you certain he is dead?" Remus asked, grabbing Harry by the shoulders, once again sending pain through the boy's wrist.

"Yes," Harry pronounced, remembering the image of his dead foe, "I saw his body just this afternoon, laying right where I left it, at Privet Drive."

"You left him laying in your aunts home?" gasped Remus, going pale. "What did she say when she saw that?"

"She hasn't seen it yet," Harry replied, trying not to think about the pile of mangled bodies that were just lying in a congealed pool of snake blood. "I brought her and Uncle Vernon here before I lured Voldemort to their house. Dudley is at school right now, and is perfectly fine. He wanted to stay there, even though I think his mother would have preferred that he at least come home long enough that she could see with her own eyes that he's okay, and not have to take my word for it. Now, will you tell me about Hogwarts?"

"Early yesterday morning, they attacked amass. It went better than it could have, thanks to your warning, even if you didn't really know," Remus began, then frowned, "Unless, of course, Miss Weasley was mistaken in her perception of the situation. Did you know that the dark forces would be hitting the school?"

"No," Harry sighed, remembering Voldemort's finial words and actions, "They didn't know either, until Voldemort was as good as dead."

"What do you mean? Wasn't there any plan of attack?" Remus asked.

"No, I don't think there was," Harry replied. "Voldemort was dying, and he knew it. He crawled over to Snape and pressed his Dark Mark and hissed something at it in Parseltongue."

"What did he say?" Remus asked almost fearfully, knowing that Harry could speak to snakes as well.

"He said 'kill their future'. I didn't really pay attention," Harry said with a frown, "I was pretty out of it with relief when the dust finally settled."

"I'm sure you would be," Remus said, trying to be sympathetic even though he knew that he would never fully understand the reality of being the number one person on the hit list of a cold blooded Dark Lord while still in school.

"Would you please tell me what happened at school?" Harry demanded, finally loosing patience entirely with the man's questions.

"Well, the lot of them just threw themselves at the gates until they collapsed. The gates have always been the weak point in the castle wards, because so many different people come and go. We had defenders staked everywhere, especially close to the castle itself, patrolling and on the look out. Really, we were just keeping everyone busy and out of the way, once Ginny let slip that there wasn't actually supposed to be an attack." Remus gave Harry a slightly disapproving glare at this, still not over the boy's trickery and manipulations.

"Ginny told you that?" frowned Harry, "I figured she would be the last to give up the secret."

"Well, you had that girl nearly hysterical with fear for your life," Remus reprimanded Harry, "She was ranting a bit deliriously about bunnies and secret affairs. I don't suppose you want to tell me what that's about, do you?"

"Ginny and I had our own sort of inside jokes. We both plan to confess our secret affair at each other's funerals," Harry said with a faint smile, remembering the ways that lame joke had evolved. "We never did work out how we're both going to manage to be at the other's funeral. I suppose we'll both just have to live forever."

"I suppose you will," Remus said, smiling a little, glad to know that Harry sometimes did behave like a kid. "Although, I wouldn't put it past Ron to kill you both because in the course of her ramblings, it came out that Hermione's pregnant."

Suddenly Harry's face split into a wide grin. "You do realize that this all means that their kid can grow up in a safe world, don't you?"

"Yeah, in a safe world with a pair of teenagers for parents," Remus said, slightly pessimistically.

"They'll be fine," Harry said, with a steely determination, "Ron and Hermione were meant to be together. It just happened a little sooner than is conventional."

"I guess, as your guardian, I'll just be glad that you're not in the same boat," Remus said, before his grin turned slightly sly, "Unless you and Miss Weasley have something to tell everyone yourselves?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said with a wide grin, "Ginny and I are just really good friends."

"Sure, like you'll confess to a secret affair at all of your friends funerals," Remus teased. Suddenly the happiness died from Harry's face.

"And how many of those funerals will I be attending in the near future?" he asked solemnly.

"None, actually," Remus replied, "Our side was well prepared, thanks largely to you and your DA. I won't tell you that there weren't an awful lot of injuries, but it definitely could have been worse."

"Who is the worst off?" asked Harry, though he was nearly afraid to hear the reply.

"Well, Minerva will be taking the next year off to fully recuperate after loosing a bit more blood than was good for her. Neville Longbottom lost an arm in the process of stopping two Death Eaters from getting through the line of defenders. Bill Weasley will probably always walk with a limp. There were two werewolf bites, and a lot of people were hurt as well, that I've not heard of yet, I'm sure." Remus said, talking quietly and looking a little sad.

"Ginny? Ron and Hermione? Their baby? The other Weasleys?" Harry forced himself to stop adding names so that Remus could answer him.

"Ginny was unconscious in the infirmary at the time, with a case of stress and exhaustion. Hermione was convinced to remain with her for the sake of the baby. Ron caught a couple of nasty curses, but should be in perfect health in no time. Arthur may yet loose a leg, but we won't know for certain for a few hours yet at least. Molly stayed with the children in the Great Hall, and missed the whole fight. She's been in the infirmary ever since the biggest part of the enemy force was put down. Bill, like I said, will probably limp, Charlie may have to stay away from Dragons until he fully recovers from a head injury. The twins are fine, they were with the force guarding the younger students. Anyone else you want to know about right now?" asked Remus when he finished.

"I think I want to check on them all now. I'll find out everything else for myself," Harry said, extremely eager to see Ginny.

After all, the war was over, and Voldemort gone. Any time now, they could announce to the world and their closest friends that they were together and planned to stay that way forever.

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Harry hurried over the Hogwarts grounds, towards the lake, where he had been told that Ginny was out taking a break from helping to nurse their wounded friends. He finally caught sight of her bright hair. A grin spread across Harry's face and he slowly meandered towards her, hands tucked in his pockets, soaking in the sight of her. She was seated, legs curled beside her, facing away from him, staring out over the water. Her hair hung loose to her waist, nearly hitting the ground, covering her back, but unable to disguise the graceful lines of her body. Harry watched her as he came toward her, enjoying the peaceful sight. The only time Ginny was this still usually was when she was sleeping. Ginny was almost always in motion otherwise, sometimes stroking his arm, playing with her hair, some small movement, always. Except now she sat staring across the water, perfectly still.

Harry felt the slightest twinges of foreboding but brushed that aside as anticipation of being with her again after what felt like a life time apart. He went to stand right behind her, just to her right before saying anything to announce his presence. Then, with a crooked smile, he spoke up. "Hey, babe, fancy meeting you here."

Ginny didn't say anything for a moment. She remained silent long enough for Harry to get nervous, before launching herself to her feet and into his arms. Harry had time only to register her gorgeous brown eyes turned up to meet his owns before she smashed her lips into his. Ginny's kiss was needy and full of a desperation that Harry couldn't understand, by attempted to match anyway. After a short eternity, Ginny pulled back. Both we gasping for breath, and it was in that second that Harry caught sight of something alarming in Ginny's eyes.

"I hope you enjoyed that, Harry Potter, because this is goodbye," she said, and walked away from him, back up to the castle.


	38. Chapter 38: Fighting

**A/N: Okay, so who really hates me right now? Wow... thats quite a few of you... and sadly enough, I totally agree. So, I've revamped chapter thirty eight, and have thirty nine almost written (yeah, yeah, I've taken forever... I suck, I'm sorry!) I'd suggest everybody read this chapter over if you've already read it because its quite a bit better and takes a lot of complaints i've recieved into account. So anyway...**

**Chapter Thirty-eight**

**Fighting**

When Ginny really thought about it, perhaps her parting words to Harry weren't really the most appropriate. After all, it was pretty well impossible to say goodbye to someone who was living with you. However, Ginny figured that he got the point, and it had sounded good in her head, so she supposed that that was all that really mattered.

She was so over Harry Potter.

No, really, she was.

Well, alright, she so _wanted_ to be over Harry, and really, wasn't the intent just as important as the actual state of being over him? Ginny shook her head, and tried to ward off a sigh. She looked around the bedroom that she had been packing up, and sighed anyway. There really hadn't been much to pack, considering most of her things were still in Harry's bedroom, and she refused to ask him to give them back, because that would necessitate talking to him, which was something that she had been avoiding for three days now. It had been a whole week, if you included the four days he had been gone and excluded the one sentence she had said to him by the lake.

Ginny smoothed the covers once more, admitting that she would need to get her things back before they left for the Burrow the next day. She might have been able to survive the last three days on one school robe, two pairs of shorts and an old t-shirt of Harry's, but that couldn't go on indefinitely. So, gritting her teeth, Ginny went out to face Harry's door. She went around the long way, to the front door, mostly to avoid the confrontation as long as she could. She knocked on the door, something she had never deemed necessary before now. Ginny nearly broke down right then, thinking of the horrible way things had changed.

"Come in," called Harry through the door. Ginny bit her lip and pushed the door open.

"Ginny!" Harry cried in a rush of what sounded like relief. She didn't say anything, didn't take so much as one step closer. He looked happily expectant for a long moment, but then, his face fell. "You aren't here to tell me that you now know that breaking up was stupid and want me back, are you?" He probably meant it as a joke, but Ginny chose to take offence.

"I'm not the one in the wrong here, Harry!" she cried.

"Well, the very least you could do is tell me why I am!" Harry shouted back, becoming angry mainly because he was so frustrated with the situation. He had come back expecting to scoop Ginny into his arms and not let go for several years, if he could avoid it. He had been thinking of ways of telling everyone that they were together, not knowing that he should really be thinking of ways to get Ginny to talk to him.

"Do you have a few hours for me to go over the whole list, or do you want the condensed version?" the redhead asked sarcastically, standing with her feet squared, glaring at her former boyfriend. Or, she supposed, getting angrier still, she could say fiancé, though he had proposed mere hours before leaving her, as she saw it.

"Well, knowing you, the condensed version will be long enough!" Harry replied nastily. He immediately regretted the words, but Ginny didn't allow him time to take them back.

"Oh, real smart, Harry! Way to insult the girl you should be begging for forgiveness!" she replied scathingly.

"Why should I have to beg you for anything?" he roared in return.

"Maybe because you up and left me on my own to go chasing down evil maniacs? Maybe because you promised always to be painfully honest with me and then disappeared, only telling me why after the fact? Maybe because you expected me to lie to my family and the whole Order of the Phoenix on demand?" screeched Ginny, unaware that they were attracting a small audience.

"Oh, so you're angry I asked you to tell a few measly lies that made it possible for me to save people's _lives_? Or maybe you're just mad that you can't keep a secret to save your own life?" taunted Harry, having quickly gotten over his reluctance to stand up for himself to her.

"I can think of one secret I've managed to keep!" Ginny retorted angrily, glancing down at her ring. "But you know what, it's not something that I'm vaguely interested in telling anyone anymore. In fact, I hereby decide that that secret has ceased to exist!"

"Yeah, well you can take your not-secret and go straight to-"

"Harry!" admonished a voice from the doorway. Both spun to face their two best friends, looking shocked, angry and embarrassed.

"You know what, Hermione?" Ginny hissed in anger, "Let him finish. In fact tell him I'd say I'd meet him there, if I could stand the thought of seeing him ever again!"

And with that, Ginny stomped out, in possession of no more of her things than before, but at least having had her first 'conversation' with Harry, post-break up. She hardly enjoyed fighting with Harry, but it was better than ignoring each other, right? Honestly, though, how could he not understand why she was so mad?

Ginny slammed into her own room and saw the nearly empty trunk that held all of the things that she had kept in this room. That is to say, it didn't hold much. She groaned loudly, wondering how she would get her things back now, and then groaned again as she thought of being trapped at the Burrow with Harry all summer.

"You're a bloody prat!"

"Yeah, well, you're a spoiled baby who can't stand when people don't do exactly what you want them to!"

"Well, I HATE you!"

"Right back at you, princess!"

"Well fine!"

"No, better than fine. FUCKING PERFECT!"

There came the sound of a bedroom door slamming, and then angry footsteps, followed by the slamming of the Burrow's front door. The sound of doors being nearly blown off their hinges was one that the occupants of the Burrow had become quite familiar with in the two weeks that Harry, Ginny and the others had been there. The pair had taken to having loud fights on a very regular basis, despite Ron, Hermione and the Weasley parents' best efforts to dissuade them. Really, Ron supposed that they were lucky that Ginny and Harry had managed to not fight long enough to fulfill their roles as Best Man and Maid of Honour at the his and Hermione's small wedding the week before. That's not to say that Harry and Ginny got along, just that they didn't actually shout at each other for the duration of the ceremony and had even managed one very short and extremely hostile dance together at the reception.

"Well, at least they've got today's fight out of the way early," Ron said, finally able to eat now that the angry yelling had stopped. "The rest of the day we can enjoy them avoiding each other in sulky silence."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Hermione predicted gloomily, rubbing her slightly swollen stomach. "They got up to two or three fights in one day about four times this week."

"Oh," Ron said, feeling rather disappointed. He nearly wished that he could disappear to his job at the ministry, despite the fact that it was Saturday. "I'm sorry that you have to spend so much time with them, Hermione."

"It's not so bad. When they're not fighting, your mum and I spend a lot of time talking and cooking and such things in the kitchen," she offered with a pale grin as she dug into a plate of eggs. "Besides, you're the one that has to work all day. I really think that I should probably find a job, just a temporary one until the baby comes."

"I don't know, is there really any point in you starting a job and having to quit eight months from now?" asked Ron doubtfully.

"It's not like I think I should start a career right now, I'm only saying I could work in a shop or something for a few months so that we could put a little extra money away. Or maybe we could use it to rent a flat of our own or something?" suggested Hermione, "Imagine living somewhere away from Harry and Ginny and their fights!"

Ron grinned at Hermione's teasing words, "I'm still not completely sold on the idea, but if you really want to work in a shop or something, then I guess it couldn't hurt. Why don't I take you to lunch, and then we can look around and see if anyone is hiring in Diagon Alley?" Ron offered, wrapping an arm around his wife.

"Well, I was going to-" Hermione's words were cut off by more angry stomping, this time up the stairs, and the sound of a door more or less blasting inwards.

"Another thing, Ginerva, you are so bloody unreasonable!"

"Yeah, well at least I'm not an overly noble asshole who spends his time brooding about what a great hero he is and crying over the fact that no one can understand him!"

"Ouch," commented Ron, referring to the insult.

"Yeah, well at least I'm capable of moving beyond child hood crushes and things that happened when I was eleven bloody years old!"

And that's when the _real_ fight began. The shouting had now reached a deafening level, and Hermione didn't even attempt to make herself heard. She just stood up and pulled Ron out into the yard, where the voices dimmed quite a bit, but didn't entirely fade.

"I think I'll take you up on your offer of lunch away from here. Why don't we make a day of it? We can leave right now and return later," Hermione suggested brightly.

"Yeah, much later," Ron agreed.

So the couple went and spent the day strolling through Diagon Alley, trying not to think about any of the harder aspects of their current situation. Living in the same dorm as best-friend-Harry-and-Ginny had been a strange experiment, riddled with orange bunnies and horrible jokes, but it was nothing like living in the same house with an at-each-other's-throats-Harry-and-Ginny. The fighting almost never stopped, but neither did it ever cover any new ground or move towards resolution.

Every morning they would stumble upon each other, try for a few minutes to act as though nothing was wrong, and then one would make some nasty comment that started a shouting match. From there, name-calling and other insults ensued. Occasionally, they would reach such a fury and pitch that their angry voices melded together and it was only possible to distinguish a lot of curse words and a general feeling of complete rage radiating through the house.

Hermione had to admit that she had learned some new and interesting words since Harry and Ginny had begun rowing.

What Hermione hadn't learned was anything that pointed to the cause for all the yelling. Although, once, she had stumbled upon Ginny yelling at Harry in the middle of the woods about him thinking that he could waltz right back into their relationship after pulling a disappearing act. However, they had gone back to name calling moments later, and that was the last Hermione had heard of Harry and Ginny's 'relationship'. She had been tempted to ask Ron if he had heard anything along a similar vein, but she didn't really want to get him stuck in the middle of that fight.

As it was, Hermione knew that on only one occasion any other names had been brought up in the course of a fight, beyond the ones that the pair was hurling at each other. Ginny had been yelling about where Harry disappeared to every week, and he had yelled back that he was sorry if bringing his family groceries had interfered with her yelling at him. Hermione wanted to hear more about that, but Ginny didn't seem to care enough to do more than scoff and storm off.

"Please tell me that you're not thinking about them, right now?" Ron begged, lacing his fingers through Hermione's and swinging a bag over his shoulder.

"Well, they're always so loud and right there, I can't really think about much else," Hermione defended, looking up a Ron and his cute expression of exasperation and worry. "Besides, I worry about them."

"Why?" asked Ron, "They'll get over it eventually, won't they? You and I always do."

"Yes, but Ginny and Harry have never fought before, ever. So far as we know, neither yelled or cried or did much but shrug when they broke up," Hermione pointed out, "And there definitely weren't any hard feelings between them before Harry got back."

"He scared her when he went to take on Voldemort, she scared him when she yelled. Now their fighting because they were scared for each other and in a few weeks, they won't be fighting at all," Ron predicted, wrapping an arm around his wife (oh, how he loved that word!).

"Yeah, but do you think they'll still be friends when the fighting is over?" Hermione asked, worry etched on her pretty face.

"Of course they'll be friends. Whether or not they are in the middle of a big row, their lives revolve around each other, and you rarely see them seperate," Ron commented, "You worry too much. Hey! Look who has a help wanted sign in the window!"

However, a few weeks later, Ron was less convinced that things between Harry and Ginny could ever go back to the way they were. Hermione's fear that Harry and Ginny might stop being friends permanently might not be far off the mark. By the middle of July, they seemed to have run out of insults for each other, though it could have been that they were just exchanging them in private. That was really a relief, as far as Ron was concerned, because within days of his conversation with his wife in Diagon Alley, Hermione had taken to crying every time the pair had started fighting, even though once she began her job at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Hermione really wasn't around for most of the fighting.

Harry now spent most of his time out sulking by the small pond on the back of the Weasley property and Ginny spent most of her time sulking in her room, or occasionally going out to pick a fight with Harry. Either way, the pair had their rows away from the others, either in Ginny's room with a silencing charm to cover them or out by the pond, where only their angry body langue marred the scenery. Ron had a feeling that the twins had something to do with this respite that everyone's eardrums were having.

Four days previously, Fred and George had come to what was likely one of the worst dinners that the Burrow had ever held. The evening had started off well enough, but quickly soured when Harry and Ginny had somehow managed to end up across from each other, each with a twin on one side and the end of the table on the other. Still, they had managed to avoid antagonizing each other for a good twenty minutes before Molly Weasley had asked Harry to go and grab another pitcher of milk from the kitchen. Just as Harry was about go do as she asked, Ginny had piped up sweetly.

"Why, mum, I'm surprised at you! How could you send the wonderful, exalted hero of our entire world after milk like that?" There was a poisonous sweetness to Ginny's tone that shocked the twins, who hadn't yet witnessed one of Harry and Ginny's fights.

"That was harsh, Ginny," Fred began, but before George could add to what his twin was saying, Harry broke in.

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind doing a favour for mindless admirers like Ginny, once in a while," Harry had countered, shocking the twins again. While it might be unusual for Ginny to say nasty things, she _did_ have a bit of a temper on her. Harry, however, was polite and kind to a fault, always afraid that he would upset someone, yet he had just called Ginny a mindless admirer. Where had the boy who was embarrassed to acknowledge the girl gone? Where, for that matter, had Ginny and Ron's best friend gone? Where the hell were the orange bunnies?

"I'd thank you for your kindness and praise your wonderfulness, but the line's too long and your head is already really big!" snapped Ginny sarcastically. "You know mum, you'd better not send him anyway, even if he would deign to go. He's been under a lot of stress right now, what with dividing his time between wallowing in self pity and answering fan mail, and Harry was pretty unstable to begin with."

"This coming from the girl who walks in on _me_ in the shower and starts yelling like its my fault!" Harry retorted.

"You walked in on him in the shower?" George asked, the opportunity to tease the pair overcoming his shock at fight taking place.

"Oh, you shouldn't believe a word he tells you. You can't trust what he says, no matter how sincere he seems!"

"You're the one who promised me honesty always and then refused to tell me what you imagine I've done wrong!" Harry cried, "I wouldn't trust her word on anything. And I'd be a lot more comfortable if you moved any pointy objects well out of her reach, Fred!" Harry commented, talking to the twin sitting on Ginny's right.

"Oh, fine one to talk, Boy Who Wields a Knife," Ginny replied, digging her nails into the scar on her palm, knowing that Harry would feel it as well.

Harry bit his tongue to keep from exclaiming at the pain in his left palm, and instead focused on his anger. "At least when I cut you, it wasn't meant to hurt!" he hissed.

"Oh, you're so capable of hurting in other ways, you don't need a knife for that!" Ginny retorted, "But I guess that's only to be expected, you're the great hero, after all! The Boy Who Saved Us All, wasn't that the most recent name for you in all the papers?"

"Nope, but I'm sure it came to mind because you made it up during your pathetic school girl crush on me!"

"Well, I was stupid then, and I can't imagine now what anyone would like about you!"

"That's not what you were saying after the Chamber, now was it? I just remember a lot of '_thank you for saving my life'_s, and '_oh Harry, you're the best'_s!"

"Oh, so you want to talk about the Chamber, eh? How about how you needed a hat and a stupid bird to help you?"

"Or how about we talk about the fact that you can't even get over your nightmares about it!"

"Maybe we should talk about how Voldemort was messing with my mind. After all, you know what it's like to have him in your head, don't you? Showing you things that aren't real, things that couldn't be real, things only you could be stupid enough to believe are real. You know all about stupid mistakes, don't you? The only difference between me and you is that my stupid mistakes don't get people killed!" Harry was vaguely aware of gasps of shock from the surrounding Weasleys, but that didn't deter him at all.

"Sure, blame Sirius on me, blame Cedric on me, hell, it's easy, I do that all the time! But at least I'm not some spoiled little girl who has to have things her own way all the time, relying on her big, tough brothers to get her what she wants! At least I don't agree to mar-"

"Don't you dare bring that up!" shrieked Ginny before he could get the rest out.

"What's wrong, Gin? Don't like thinking about the lies you told and the promises you broke?" Harry taunted, though he didn't attempt to continue what he was saying before. He knew by the way she kept glancing at her ring that she knew what he was implying.

"I don't think it counts as lying to tell delusional little boys who can only function enough in the world to feel sorry for themselves what they want to hear!" she countered.

"Well, you know what I want to hear right now, princess?" Harry had countered, with a malicious grin, "The sound of you shutting up for once in your life! But as that's as likely as one of Luna's crumple-horned-whatevers wandering in, I think I'll go find somewhere less hostile to be. You know, a nice war zone, or maybe the middle of a thunder storm." Harry turned to leave.

"Yeah well, I hope you get struck by lightening!"

Harry turned for a moment, "I'd tell you what I hoped happens to you, but your mother is in the room."

"Asshole!"

"Bitch!"

"Prat!"

"Spoiled brat!"

"Liar!"

"Hold on a second, I'm running out of the politer ways to describe you!"

"If I waited around for you to manage to think, I'd be here all summer!"

"Fine by me!"

"Fine by fucking me too!"

Fred and George had looked around not two minutes later when everyone else had gone back to their meal. True, Hermione was wiping away a few tears, but other than that, no one seemed to have noticed the horrible row that had exploded in their midst.

"What the hell-"

"Was that?" the twins asked between them.

"Language, boys. Now, what was what?" asked Arthur, "Oh, Harry and Ginny?"

"Yeah, you know, the pair who just used-"

"Some of the nastiest curse words we know-"

"Right at the supper table!"

"They're not getting along right now," Mrs Weasley had said, looking at her plate.

"We try to pretend that we don't hear them," Ron offered, working his way through a mound of mashed potatoes, "Otherwise, we'd never eat, what with all the meals they've interrupted so far."

"What happened to them being so sickeningly close that we worried they were doing it?" asked Fred, earning a glare from his mother.

"And why is he in trouble for saying that when Ginny just used the f word?" asked George, scandalized.

"She did?" asked Mrs Weasley with a frown, " I didn't notice. I'd best talk to that girl about minding her mouth."

"I'd try and do it tomorrow before their breakfast fight, if I were you," Ron advised his mother, "They're cheeriest then."

That was when Hermione burst into tears and tore from the room. Ron had gone after her, but not before Fred and George had thrown down their napkins and headed for the stairs, muttering about having a 'talk' with Harry and Ginny.

Ron still didn't know what had been said, but the next day was the first that the pair had bothered to keep their rows quieter. But Ron wasn't really certain it was an improvement. He had spent his last two evenings sitting around in tense silence with his wife and two best friends, not really saying much, and afraid of setting off another fight.

So, that's why Saturday afternoon found the four friends slumped around the kitchen table in sullen silence, right after lunch. Harry and Ginny had had another row that morning, but Hermione was determined to make them have at least one semi-normal afternoon. Ron was just hoping to keep them from blowing the Burrow apart.

"So, what have you got planned for this week?" Ron asked no one in particular, hoping for a positive response and receiving absolute silence.

Hermione bravely tried to take up the thread. "Isn't there a bunny-grasshopper wedding happening?" She was praying that the old joke would lighten the mood a bit.

"The wedding is off," Harry said tonelessly, glaring at the quill he had been twirling in his fingers. "The bunny drowned himself." Here Harry glared nastily at Ginny.

"Humph," she replied, trying not to feel guilty that that morning she had told Harry to go jump in a lake and not bother to come up for air. "The grasshopper was ecstatic to hear it!"

"Yeah, well, he only did it because he was sick of her yelling at him!" Harry retorted, still glaring at the girl he had once asked to marry him.

"Well, if the bunny hadn't gone off and left when he had expressly promised not to, then none of this would have happened!" Ginny accused.

"If he hadn't done what he did, then she and everyone else would have probably died!" Harry cried out angrily.

"My, but doesn't someone think an awful lot of the bunny," The comment was acidic, but sweetly stated as Ginny leaned in towards Harry, arms crossed, "Perhaps you should go ask the bunny to marry you!"

"I can't, he killed himself!" Harry replied, "But I'm sure you and the grasshopper would get along great, so why don't you go off and yell at each other?"

"Fine!" Ginny declared, stomping outside.

"Fine!" Harry echoed, stomping upstairs.

Hermione looked weakly after them. "It was only a joke…"

"I know," sighed Ron, patting Hermione's shoulder.

"I really hope their still not fighting by the time the baby is born," she said in a small voice, leaning into Ron.

"Me too," he replied.

Harry had had nearly enough of this, he really had. In fact, he probably would have left quite a while ago, if he had any place to go to. He supposed that he could take up residence at Grimmauld Place, but his relatives were still there, and Harry knew that he would never be able to live in the same place as them again. But he couldn't just kick them out, either, because they had no place to go while they waited to sell their house on Privet Drive and find a new one. Besides, it was mostly his fault that they couldn't just go back to their home.

Tonks had tried to take them back two days after Harry had returned to Hogwarts, but, unfortunately, the front hall was still rather bloodstained and in good need of quite a few repairs. When Petunia had seen the blood, apparently she had shrieked bloody murder and insisted that they leave immediately. Tonks had tried to explain that a few spells would quickly put it to rights, and then asked if they weren't glad that the bodies had at least been removed. That was when Petunia began to demand that they sell the place and never darken the doorstep again.

Harry had felt bad that he had lured Voldemort to their home, so he had told Tonks to put them back in Grimmauld Place. Once a week, Harry brought them groceries, but he never could bear to stay long. It was simply too weird to be around an aunt that smiled sadly at him and an uncle that bit back his insults and looked slightly purple with the effort of doing so. Dudley looked entirely lost, and concentrated solely on the food that Harry had brought.

Harry wondered if he would ever manage to get the hang of having a family. He didn't know how to behave around the Dursleys and he was quite certain that if he and Ginny kept up their fighting, that the Weasleys would soon be happy to get rid of him. Oh, sure they all cared about him, but eventually, if things continued down this road, Harry or Ginny would finally get fed up and say something really unforgivable. When that happened, Harry knew that the Weasleys would have to side with Ginny, because she was one of them.

When all was said and done, perhaps Harry should start looking for a house for himself while he still retained some of his friends. Maybe he could convince Hermione and Ron to move in with him…

But, no, they were probably eager to find a nice little home to settle down in and raise their baby in. Harry didn't want to interfere with their new family, but sometimes he did feel a little on the outside of things. It hadn't seemed so lonely when they were just dating, but Harry supposed that had been because he had had Ginny then. Now it was just him, outside under his tree by the pond all day, alone unless someone took pity on him and brought out some lunch to eat with him.

Just as Harry was seriously starting to consider getting a place for himself, and perhaps a job (though he could probably live quite comfortably on the interest his inheritances earned alone), a shadow fell over him. Harry looked up, expecting to see Hermione bearing a tray of food and looking rather like she had swallowed a watermelon whole.

Instead, Harry's eyes snapped up to meet Ginny's. Harry sighed. "Looking for another fight?" he asked tiredly.

"I'm never looking for a fight, Harry," she retorted.

"Yeah, well, that's not how it looks to me!" he said, staring moodily out at the pond.

"Well perhaps you need your eyes checked. You should probably get new glasses while you at it, because the ones you have now make you look like a little boy!" she retorted, flinging insults out almost automatically.

"Oh, real clever, making fun of my glasses. It's not like I didn't hear that a thousand times a day when I was young, and from five year olds, none the less!" retorted Harry.

"Yeah, well, according to you, I haven't progressed much from when I was eleven, so I guess that's in keeping with what I said!" Ginny pointed out petulantly.

Harry just glared out over the pond. Ginny let the silence build until she couldn't take it anymore. "Listen, the only reason I even came out here was to return some things of yours," Ginny told him, frustration clear in her voice.

"What, finally decided to try wearing a girl's shirt once in a while?" Harry asked nastily.

"No," Ginny replied, refusing to raise to the bait, "I wanted to give you back your mother's rings."

Harry's back went rigid. He said nothing, and Ginny didn't no what to do, other than stand in front of him as she was, holding out a fist full of jewellery.

"No," Harry retorted after a long while, "I gave them to you, their yours."

"Oh, Harry, they belonged to your mother! Are you certain you don't want to keep them, if not for yourself, then for your future wife, or daughter?" Ginny nearly choked on the last words, feeling how much she had wanted that role herself, how much she had wanted to be the mother of that daughter.

"I don't think that there's anyone like that in my future," Harry had said, still not looking at Ginny, "So just keep the damn rings, alright?"

"No, I can't, Harry, I can't!" she had cried in exasperation.

"If you hate them so much, then just throw them out. I won't take them back, because I won't have any use for them!" he said angrily, willing the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes not to fall.

"How can you think that you'll never find someone else?" asked Ginny, "You're only eighteen for Merlin's sake!"

"I know their will never be anyone else, because I always knew you were it for me, Ginny," Harry said, finally forcing his watery green eyes to meet hers.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny said, tears trailing down her cheeks, "I always thought that we were supposed to be together, too. But don't you understand that some things just can't be gotten over?"

"I don't understand why this is one of them!" cried Harry, "If I can get over the way my aunt and uncle treated me enough to be civil, then why can't we get over this one fight enough to try our relationship again?"

"Because, Harry!" Ginny said, "Just because!" The tears were really pouring now, and Harry felt the desire to pull her into his arms, even though he hadn't held her since that day by the lake.

"Why?" Harry demanded, crying now himself.

"Because you excluded me from the biggest thing that will ever happen to you! You didn't care enough about me to involve me in the most pivotal moment of your life!" Ginny gasped out, "You're just like them. You feel that you have to protect me, when I can make out just fine for myself! You accuse me of not really getting over what happened with the Chamber of Secrets, but do you ever stop to think that there's a reason why I didn't? Didn't you ever think that I might not be over the Chamber because no one will let me alone long enough for me to get over it?"

Harry didn't know what to say. There was a strange ring of truth to her words, and suddenly Harry felt guiltier of smothering her than anyone else was. He eventually just sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, Ginny, I really am," he said, watching as she seemed to calm down a bit from her furious rage. "Just, keep the rings, alright?"

Ginny nodded slowly after a moment, and Harry turned to leave. He knew that he had got the best he was going to get, at least for now. But out of this fight had come something that no other row had produced. Now he had some real understanding of what had upset Ginny.

That, at least, was a start.


	39. We Could Be Friends, But I Don't Want to

**A/N: Wow. I don't even want to think about how long its been since an update... SORRY!!!!!!**

**Any threats/rotten fruit you'd like to throw at me would totally be understood. **

**Oh, and, this chapter FINALLY getting done is due mainly to the wonderful PM/review I got from vinlovedroolwish. I was stuck, but her kind words really gave me the determination to get this done! So, a thank you to her from me, (I promise I'll write you a private reply as soon as I've caught up on my sleep!) and an encouragement to everyone to review someone's story positively, not specififally mine. You never know when you're going to give an author the will to update faster!**

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

We Could Be Friends, But I Don't Want To 

"Okay, so we're agreed?" whispered Hermione Weasley to her husband, who nodded.

"Right," he agreed readily, "You tell them, I'll stand behind you and nod a lot, at least until they start fighting again."

Hermione gave him a stern look. "No, that's the plan you proposed eleven times already, and that I refuse to comply with. You go tell Ginny and I'll handle Harry."

"Right," Ron sighed, "I was hoping you'd changed your mind about that. I really don't want to face Ginny on my own with this one…" He tired very hard to look so pitiable that Hermione would give in, but she was having none of it.

"You know that this is absolutely the only way we can get through this!" Hermione admonished him, "We agreed that we had to tell them at the same time so no one is upset by being the last to know, and you know that we can't tell them together with out risking a fight that I, for one, would rather not witness, given the option."

"Yes, dear," Ron sighed, looking up the stairs for a long moment before heading up to his sister's bedroom to break the news to her.

Hermione shook her head ruefully at the love of her life before waddling out of the house towards the lake where Harry had once again plopped himself down early that morning, showing every intention of staying there until dinner like he did most days. The walk took her a good ten minutes, and she was quite out of breath by the time she reached her best friend. "Hi," she said, panting a little.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry said as he jumped up and helped the girl lower her thickening frame to the grass. "You really don't have to come all the way out here to keep me company, you know. I'm fine on my own, and you'd probably be more comfortable inside…"

"Harry, in a few months, I may not be capable of making that walk, but for now, I'm determined to go where I want. If Ron thought I couldn't manage to get myself from the house to the pond, then he would start making a fuss about me quitting at the store, and I don't want to do that," she scolded gently before breaking into a grin, "Besides, I'm sure I could use the exercise."

"Now that you mention it," Harry said, eyeing her midsection appraisingly, with a teasing glint in his eye, "You seem to have put a bit of weight on recently."

"Oh, ha, ha, ha," she said, rolling her eyes and biting back a smile, "If you're finished making jokes at the expense of you're poor, innocent best friend, then I've something important to discuss with you!"

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPPHHPHPHPHPHPHPH

Ginny stared at her brother for a long, shocked moment. His announcement had completely blindsided her, though she supposed that she should have known this was coming. Still, she could hardly believe that her last brother was going to move away from home, leaving her the last Weasley child still living at the Burrow.

Even as tears began to prickle her eyes, Ginny knew that she was being stupid. After all, Ron was a married man now, with a job and a baby on the way, of course he wasn't going to keep living with his parents. In an attempt to distract herself, she went to her window. Striding across the yard towards the front gate was a figure she recognised. Ginny's gaze went to the tree where Harry spent most of his mornings, wondering what had made him leave it. There sat Hermione, looking after him as he walked quickly away. She had obviously just shared with Harry the same surprising information that Ron had just blurted out to her, and from all appearances, Harry didn't know what to do with it either. Struck by the sudden desire to commiserate with him like she would have as a matter of course a few months ago, Ginny spun around, threw an excuse to her startled brother, and flew out her bedroom door. She ran through the house and out the front door, catching Harry just outside the gate.

"Wait for me!" she called. Harry turned back, looking a little surprised to see her chasing after him, and reasonably enough. After all, they had hardly spoken in the three days since Ginny had tried to give him back his rings, even to fight. "Where are you going?"

"Just into the village to buy some things," Harry said as Ginny came to stand just in front of him, "Do you want to come?"

"Yeah, sure," Ginny said, surprised by how agreeable that seemed.

"Anything to get away from there?" asked Harry wryly as the pair fell easily into step, heading for the distant village.

"So, I take it they told you as well?" Ginny asked, though she had already suspected that.

"Yep," Harry said with a sigh, "The twins are setting up a store in Hogsmeade and Hermione and Ron are going to run it for them."

"I guess I always knew I'd be the last to move out," Ginny admitted, "But the reality is different from just a vague sort of knowing it."

"Hey, you never know, you could still move out of your parents house before I do," Harry offered with bitter self-contempt. "That's becoming a serious and increasingly likely possibility."

"Why is it depressing to stay with my family?" Ginny asked indignantly, pulling away from Harry, who sighed.

"That's not what's depressing me and you know it, Gin, so please, just give it a rest," Harry begged, sounding defeated and desperate to avoid the fight. Ginny relented and tucked her arm through his again as the continued their walk.

"Well, what is upsetting you, then?" she asked, really concerned, but at the same time hoping against hope that it wasn't her fault. She didn't know if she could rehash the whole situation with their relationship right then.

"Gin, do you realize that I'm not even eighteen yet, and I've accomplished what's been my destiny since before I was born? Do you realize that I've achieved what's basically been my objective since shortly after my eleventh birthday?" asked Harry, sounding frustrated rather than proud at all.

"Well," Ginny began slowly, "Yeah, I do realize that…" She gave Harry a look that clearly told him she didn't understand his point at all.

"The point is, I used to have a plan, a focus, one that was important and ate up practically my whole being, and now I don't!" Harry cried, running the hand attached to the arm Ginny wasn't holding captive through his hair. When she didn't respond to his declaration, Harry looked down into her brown eyes. There was a thoughtful look on her face, one that prompted him to ask what was on her mind, if not eloquently, than at least directly. "What?"

"Harry, I don't want you to think that I'm not sympathetic, but…" Ginny trailed off. She didn't want to start a fight, but she was pretty sure that Harry was at least in part, just feeling sorry for himself.

"But what?" Harry asked desperately. Perhaps Ginny could offer some fresh insight to help him through the identity crisis he had been going through ever since she had told him it was over beside the Hogwarts lake.

"Well, you claim this has been your goal since you were eleven, and yet, not once in all that time, did you think about what you'd like to do after you had won this war and saved the world?" she asked sceptically.

"Mostly, I was concentrating on just living through the moment," Harry hedged, his mind skittering to the different dreams that he had had briefly in his life, the hopes he had held in the most secret corner of his heart.

"There wasn't one time when you thought you might like to do something particular when you 'grew up'?" asked Ginny in a wheedling sort of voice, a smile hovering tentatively on her face. She wasn't sure she had the right to press him on any issues anymore, but he had so few real friends left, she couldn't just leave him to mire in the swamp of self-pity he was edging towards.

"Well, I suppose I thought I might like to play professional Quidditch, and for a while, I wanted to be an auror…" Harry said uncertainly, not looking at the girl at his side.

"Well, I'm sure you could do either of those things, Harry!" Ginny cried encouragingly.

"I guess I could," Harry said. Then he sighed, giving up on trying to appease her. "The thing is, I don't want to, not anymore! I can't spend any more time chasing after the bad guys! I can't have a job where I'm forced to constantly be faced with Voldemort's admirers!"

"Well," Ginny said, a little taken aback by the outburst, but understanding exactly where he was coming from, "You could still play Quidditch!"

"No… that was a child's dream," Harry said sadly, "Not realistic. Besides, I can't do something that would put me in the spotlight for another stupid reason. I don't want to be an irrelevant jock anymore than I wanted to be the Chosen One or the Boy Who Lived."

"Isn't there some other dream you had?" asked Ginny in exasperation, having been fully convinced that the chances of Harry suddenly turning into an orange bunny were far greater than him taking up Quidditch or law enforcement as careers.

Harry hesitated, and in that, Ginny sensed hope. He was holding back some secret ambition, she could feel it. Suddenly, Ginny was determined to ferret it out and then do everything in her power to make sure he realized this dream! She would stop at nothing to help him, because, though she still felt that he had excluded her by being overprotective and overbearing, Ginny still cared about Harry. She wanted nothing more than to be his friend, and was determined to be that, no matter what he threw at her.

Harry eyed Ginny, knowing that he would have trouble hiding what he was thinking from her. She could be annoyingly tenacious at times, and was unlikely to let the subject die until he gave her some sort of answer. He cast around in his mind, hoping to find some sort of ambition that he could claim as his own to put Ginny off this dangerous path.

Evidently, though, Ginny could sense a lie in the making. "Harry, you once promised me truth," she reminded him simply, looking up into his averted green eyes, and yet, not missing a step as they trudged towards the village.

Ginny was right, but a lot had changed since that night, months ago, when they had vowed to give each other honesty. "Alright," Harry gave in, a steely fire in his eyes, "There is one thing I've thought about a lot in terms of this phase of my life…"

"Yes?" Ginny prompted eagerly when he trailed off.

Suddenly, Harry spun around to face her on the dusty road.

"You," he said, "For more than a year now, I've been planning on you. On having a life with you, on settling down and having kids, on just being with you."

Ginny's face fell and she felt tears prickle her eyes. The guilt in Harry's eyes told her that he knew he was upsetting her, but he had no intention of just shutting up.

"You have been my reason for not giving up, my reason for fighting Voldemort, hell, you were the reason I was _able_ to fight him!" Harry told her, "You're everything to me, and you're supposed to be with me! We're supposed to live happily ever after with twelve kids and a dog! We're supposed to be sad because of what we lost in the war, but we're supposed to get through it because we have each other!"

Harry stood panting in the pathway, his eyes filled with tears, out of words, and nearly out of hope, but still looking at Ginny like there was some chance she might say what he wanted her to so desperately.

She spoke up timidly, eyes burning, voice small, "Harry, maybe we're just supposed to be friends…"

Harry let the silence hang as he got his temper under control. Finally he was capable of speech again and looked at Ginny, a bitter twist in his voice. "Yeah, we could be friends," he said, "But I don't want to. I don't think I even can just be friends with you. I've loved you far to much, and far to intimately to act like we barely know each other, and I've fought with you far to long and hard to put you on the same level as Ron and Hermione."

And with that he walked away.

Ginny stared after Harry in shock. She didn't like the feeling of dread that had settled in her stomach because it appeared to tell her that she might have just lost him forever. It surprised her that it hurt this much, considering how many times she told him there was no hope for their relationship. But then, Ginny supposed it only went to prove that you could only lie to yourself for so long.

Unfortunately, Ginny had managed longer than was good for her, and, as a direct result, she may now be actually be forced to really give up on the boy that she had been in love with for most of her life and had 'gotten over' half a dozen times before…

Ginny turned and slowly walked back to the burrow, mind racing. There had to be a way to fix this, to show Harry that she was over her stupid snit and had finally realized just how dumb she had been. So what if she hadn't been physically there when Harry struck the last blow to the 'dark lord'? Ginny finally understood that Harry took the people he loved everywhere with him and that she especially, had been a big part of helping him through the whole terrible thing because of the love they shared.

Ginny made a face. She would have to think of a way to explain all that that didn't sound so sappy and cheesy…

However, all of her careful preparation of what she wanted to say to Harry came to naught, because Harry didn't come home that night. He sent an owl to Hermione, asking her to tell everyone that he was spending the night at Grimmauld Place. Ginny cursed her luck and hoped that his decision didn't have anything to do with their conversation earlier. Then she remembered that as far as she knew, Harry was still housing the Dursley's in his godfather's former home, and hoped instead that he had found them a nice house somewhere in Alaska weeks ago, and just hadn't said anything.

Ginny had time to grow almost anxious enough to go to Grimmauld Place in search of Harry herself before he finally returned, two days later. She spotted him walking across the yard, headed towards the kitchen door, from the living room window, and was about to rush in to meet him and start apologizing, when Hermione spoke to him as he came in. Now, Ginny knew that getting caught eavesdropping was far from the perfect way to begin to win back one's estranged boyfriend, but she was only hoping to gage his mood by listening in.

"Harry!" Hermione cried worriedly the moment her friend walked through the door, "How have you been?"

"Okay," he sighed in reply, pushing back a chair and flopping into it.

"You don't look very good," she returned critically. Ginny's heart thumped. She could only imagine what merited that comment, but she could clearly see in her mind the appraising eye Hermione was running over her friend.

"Yeah, well, the Dursleys will do that to you," Harry replied wryly. Ginny felt herself getting angry. How could those horrible people still treat Harry poorly after he had put them up when they had no where else to go?

"What happened?" asked Hermione sharply, clearly thinking along the same lines as Ginny was.

Harry laughed a little weakly, maybe a bit bitterly. "They didn't stick me in a cupboard again, if that's what's got you so upset, Hermione," Harry assured her.

"Well, what did they do then?" Hermione wanted to know, sounding not the least bit placated by Harry's flippant remark, much to Ginny's approval.

"They were just themselves," Harry told her, "Which meant it was perfectly clear that Dudley and Uncle Vernon didn't want me around in the least."

Suddenly, Ginny couldn't stomach what that family had put Harry through any more. She could no longer passively listen to Harry's callous rundown of the cruelties he felt at his family's hands. Long ago, she had promised herself that the Dursleys would not be allowed to get away with their heinous crimes, and now, Ginny figured the time had come to keep that promise.

At that moment, Ginny became aware of another voice in the kitchen, that of her youngest elder brother. "Harry," he said, "It's good to see you've come back."

"Yeah, well, I was hoping your parents wouldn't mind me crashing here again, at least for a bit," Harry admitted, "It's been too weird living with an uncle who doesn't yell and try to throttle me, a cousin who doesn't have a gang of bullies to help beat me up and an aunt who isn't always ordering me about. I just need a could of days to recuperate, before I have to deal with all that again."

"You know mum and dad are always happy to have you," Ron admonished. "You should just stay and forget about going back to the Dursleys."

"Yeah, Harry, stay here," Hermione urged, much to Ginny's approval. She didn't want those people anywhere near Harry!

"It would probably be best if I went and toughed it out at Grimauld Place until their house on Privet Drive sells," Harry said, "It would be too weird living here after you move out."

Ginny had enough of listening then. Even if Ron and Hermione convinced Harry to stay, she was still going to deal with the Dursley's. Their horrible ways had gone far to long uncorrected, and she was about to rectify that, come hell or high water. So Ginny hurried up to her room to collect her wand. Then she Apparated to the front door of Grimmauld Place, and knocked. The moment someone opened the door, they were sure to regret it…

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPPHHPHPHPHPHPHPH

Meanwhile, Ron, Hermione and Harry continued their conversation in the Burrow's kitchen, oblivious to the actions of the young witch who lived with them. "If you think it will be weird without us," Hermione began eagerly, "Then leave when we do. Please say you'll stay at least until then?"

"Okay," Harry gave in, "But I'll have to go collect some more of my things. I really only intended to spend a few days here, so I just brought one bag."

"Well, you and Ron can go put that away, and I'll make us some sandwiches! You can eat before you go," Hermione instructed, hurrying to fix a few sloppy sandwiches.

Ron followed his best friend up the stairs, saying quietly, "Sorry about that. Hermione has been spending too much time with my mum lately. They both seem to have a deep seeded need to feed the world."

"That's okay with me. It's so tense with the Dursleys, I haven't really ate in days," Harry assured Ron.

Fifteen minutes and two messily assembled sandwiches later, Harry floo'd into Grimmauld Place, and into what was apparently some sort of auditory explosion. After a second, Harry realised that it was really one exceptionally angry redheaded witch screaming at three cowering people, while brandishing her wand at them. It took a moment for Ginny's words to make sense to Harry's poor ears, but when they did, he felt a trickle of embarrassment drip through him.

"You don't even know what a special, sweet, caring, wonderful boy your nephew is, and it's pathetic! You can't even be proud of the fact that he saved the whole fucking world! You're not grateful that he took you in when you were essentially homeless! You're just the assholes who let him get beat up, who starved him and shoved him in a cupboard! All you've ever done is hurt Harry!" she screamed, "And he just doesn't deserve it! What he deserves is your LOVE! HE DESERVES EVERYONE'S LOVE!"

Harry had heard enough. He had to stop Ginny, and the only way that came to mind was to distract her or remove her from the room. "God, Ginny, why don't you just mind your own damn business?" he asked as contemptuously as he could, hoping to draw her wrath upon himself for the sake of calming her down. His attempt failed dismally, leaving him with only the option of getting her the Hell out of Dodge. So, risking life and limb, Harry strode towards the tiny but fierce girl, and picked her up, bridal style. For a moment, Ginny was so surprised that she didn't move. Harry took advantage of that time to get as far as the stairs. When she started kicking and demanding to be put down, Harry shifted her around until she was tossed over his shoulder. She kicked him in the stomach, and he was forced to stop and catch his breath. "Gin," he said, "You had better start cooperating before I'm forced to hex you into it." Ginny paused a moment, but then her struggles redoubled. With a sigh, Harry began his climb, since, this time, he didn't seem in immediate danger of being sucker punched. Most of the girl's rage was channelled into pounding on his back.

Finally he had enough by the time he reached the second staircase. "Stop fighting, Ginny, before you make me drop you!" he snapped.

"You wouldn't dare!" she cried. But non the less, Ginny didn't move much until they reached the bedroom on the third floor that Harry had claimed last summer, the same one he had been using this time around. "So," he asked, trying for calm, "What brought that on?"

"Seventeen years of them abusing you!" she snapped.

"Sixteen," Harry informed her.

"What?" she asked exasperatedly.

"Well, I lived with them from the Halloween following my first birthday until my last birthday. Which is actually, fifteen years, nine month, almost exactly, if you don't count that I wasn't living with them for ten months of the year after I started school. That really means about ten years, nine months with them, before you subtract all the time I spent with your family, and the week last year when they left me to go on vacation. All in all, I spent-" But Ginny had apparently heard enough.

"Did you just figure that all out now?" she asked, slightly awed by the impressive calculations.

"No, I was bored one day, and there wasn't much else to do at the time. If you'd like me to, I could tell you the exact age of Ron, Hermione, yourself and myself in minutes at that particular moment in time. Or I could list every Hogwarts student in your year, my year, and the year ahead of me in backwards-alphabetical order by first or last name. I also started a list of people whose middle names I know." Harry offered.

"How did you sort that one?" asked Ginny, not sure if Harry was really serious, and not sure what to think of him if he was.

"First, I sorted it alphabetically, then I sorted them into groups according to hair colour, then by eye colour," Harry replied. "The last was the hardest. I couldn't remember the colour of Percy Ignatius Weasley for the longest time. Eventually I took out my photos and looked it up."

"Wow," Ginny said, sinking to the floor, "You must have had a lot of time on your hands."

"Well, ever since the end of the Voldemort thing, there has been a lot of time, and little to fill it with," Harry said lightly, pleased with how normally this conversation was progressing. (Okay, normal probably wasn't the word for this particular conversation, but at least it was the type of thing Harry and Ginny had often used to talk about.)

Ginny whoever, did not seem to like the direction of the conversation as she suddenly burst into tears. Harry looked perplexed. He had, though he still didn't realise it, just reminded Ginny of their last fight, and suddenly she was feeling guilty for acting so horribly to Harry in the last months.

Harry sat beside her on the floor and wrapped an arm around her, wanting desperately to comfort her, though he didn't know why she was upset in the first place. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Harry, I'm no better than they are! I've treated you terribly since you left to defeat Voldemort!" she cried out, once her tears subsided a little.

"Don't worry about it, Ginny," Harry offered softly, willing to pretend their fights had never happened if she would.

"The stupid part of it is, I've missed all this horribly!" Ginny said, "All the talking, and feeling like I'm the only one who knows how truly bizarre you are. The feeling like I'm the only one who really knows _you_."

"We could have that back, if we tried," offered Harry hesitantly, aware he was about to make the same offer he himself had rejected two days before. "We could be friends."

"We could be friends," Ginny said slowly, remembering Harry's words to her when she had suggested that very thing, "But…I don't want to."

"Oh," said Harry, his heart sinking, though he supposed he deserved to have his harsh words turned back on him, "You don't?"

"No," Ginny confirmed, "I want to be more than that."

Harry didn't react for a full minute. Briefly he contemplated telling her no, he wouldn't take her back after all the horrible rows she had put them through. But then Harry realised that he wanted her back more than he wanted to punish her. Besides, he had said his share of horrible things over the course of their fights, things that he rather she forget. Suddenly, Harry leaned in and kissed her with a desperation multiplied with two months of frustration.

After a moment, he pulled back. "I'm sorry, but I've been wanting to do that for forever now, and I know that's no excuse, not after you made your opinion clear when you tried to give back the rings, but I love you, and I never stopped, not even when-"

Ginny silenced him with a brief kiss before pulling back the smallest amount possible to mutter, "Shut up, Harry. I love you, too."


	40. Chapter 40: Together

**A/N: A brief thank you to Brad, for the wonderful beta job!**

**Chapter Forty**

**Together**

Ginny lay wrapped contentedly in Harry's arms after an immensely pleasant afternoon spent in each other's company. Harry smiled happily, pleased with the knowledge that neither had had such a nice time since before they had started fighting nearly two months previously. In fact, as they had laughed, talked and made out for several hours that day, Harry had reflected that the day could be a memory pulled directly from the previous summer, even down to the fact that they had stayed in this very room while at Grimmauld Place. Actually, they had spent more time on the roof outside this room, but that was beside the point.

Because the fact was, Harry was truly happy, as he hadn't been in a long while. Now he was able to really appreciate that he didn't have Voldemort hanging over his future by virtue of the fact that he now actually seemed to have one, with Ginny. For so long they had been hiding their relationship and pretending to be nothing more than friends, but now they would have the chance to tell everyone how in love they were. They could get married and start the life that he had been secretly hoping for, ever since the first time he had kissed Ginny, back in sixth year. Suddenly, Harry couldn't wait to get back to the Burrow to announce their reconciliation and engagement. Sure, Ginny's family would be upset about being lied to, but they'd understand and hopefully be happy for the couple.

Besides, it wasn't like Harry planned to rush up to Ginny's mum and dad and confess every detail of the relationship he had been carrying on with their daughter for more then a year. No one needed to know that Ginny had never had a particular friend named Sarah, or that the only muggle home she had ever stayed in belonged to Harry's relatives. Nor did Harry feel any particular desire to tell anyone that he and Ginny had spent the better part of ten months sharing not only a bedroom, but the bed itself. He may have been able to take down an evil wizard at the age of seventeen, and even though he'd be eighteen in a matter of days, Harry doubted he was up to the challenge presented by the six Weasley brothers in overprotective mode.

Honestly, his relationship with Ginny had already been the main cause of any and all uneasiness between Harry and Ron in the last year, and Harry refused to make that situation worse by letting his friend figure out that his accusations hadn't been that far off base.

At that moment Harry frowned. He had just realised that there would probably be a lot of hard feelings between Ron and himself over this, especially considering how often Harry had lied through his teeth to his best fried. Harry still vividly recalled the time when Ron had told Ginny, in a fit of frustration and anger that the only conceivable reason Harry would agree to bring her along on their Horcrux hunt was if they were sleeping together. He didn't want Ginny to have to go through that again, but the only alternatives seemed to be actually breaking up or continuing to pretend they weren't together for the rest of their lives. Neither option appealed to him.

As Harry's thoughts wandered over the coming confessions, he glanced out the window and noticed that the sun had nearly sunk out of sight behind the buildings of London. With a jolt, Harry realized that Mrs Weasley was probably wondering where Ginny was at this point. The redheaded mother had been checking up on her children frequently through out the day ever since rumours of dark supporters attacking ordinary wizarding folk while on the run from law enforcement. Add that to a certain amount of disbelief that the whole of the large family had managed to make it through the war unscathed, Molly Weasley had become very nearly paranoid whenever one of her children was out of calling distance, particularly if it was one of the four teenagers living at the Burrow.

"Shit," Harry murmured, sitting up. He really didn't want to worry Mrs Weasley, especially since he and Ginny had been planning on telling everyone their secret that night. This would cause enough of an uproar without anything to further complicate the issue. "Gin, babe, you've got to wake up. It's getting late and we need to get back to the Burrow."

"Mmm…ok," Ginny mumbled sleepily, sitting up as well. Her eyes fluttered open and she remembered that she and Harry had finally managed to end the stupid fighting between them, and she smiled. "Hi," Ginny murmured happily.

Harry broke into an answering soft grin, and replied. "Hi."

They stayed there a moment more, savouring the return of their former closeness and smiling goofily. Then Harry sighed. "We really should go back now," he said regretfully, getting up and turning to pull Ginny to her knees on the bed.

"Do we have to?" she pouted, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck while still kneeling on the bed.

"Well, I suppose we have the option of never going back, but I think we'd miss them eventually," Harry pointed out, even as his arms settled around Ginny's waist.

"Maybe we could stay here just a tiny bit longer?" she begged, "We could go out on the roof and watch the sun finish setting. You do remember what happened the last time we did that, don't you?"

"As I recall, we watched more sunrises than sunsets," Harry pointed out, before going on thoughtfully, "Although, I can't say that much of my attention was really spared for that particular phenomenon."

"Well, wouldn't you rather be distracted that way again?" offered Ginny with an impish smile, "Besides, mum will already be worried. Staying away a little longer won't make her yell any louder."

"And people say I get into dangerous situations because I won't do the prudent thing," Harry returned, trying to come up with one thing he had done that he considered more dangerous than messing with Molly Weasley in a temper.

"We can't go back right now," Ginny said, "At least not until we know what we're going to tell everyone we've been doing all afternoon."

"I plan to lead with, 'I swear I wasn't doing anything with your little sister!'" Harry told Ginny, "But that line might not work for you."

"I doubt it will do you much good, either," Ginny replied, "It sounds a bit suspicious."

"We could tell everyone we were at the bunny and grasshopper's wedding," offered Harry, "I doubt anyone is willing to try questioning that piece of craziness at this point."

"The bunny died, remember?" Ginny said, "And I heard the grasshopper killed herself rather than be without him. It was all very Shakespearean."

"Then we'll tell them we were at a moving double funeral," Harry said, with an air of sudden inspiration, "The bunny's brother broke down during the eulogy and had to be taken away to be comforted by the grasshopper's lovely sister. Rumour has it that the pair has bonded over their mutual grief and are now planning to elope. They'll name their children Plaid and Orange in honour of their dead siblings and live a very happy life together, only stopping occasionally to remember the couple that died for their love. Poets will write about them, singers will sing and a cheesy muggle romance movie will be made in five years that will bring forth waves of protest from those who knew the orange bunny and the plaid grasshopper. Little Orange will lead the fight, sue the filmmakers and end up with a large settlement. She'll use part of it to erect a statue of the tragic couple and the rest she will use to establish a ballet school for elephants, which had always been the secret aspiration of her aunt's."

"You know, Harry, sometimes you're too weird, even for me," Ginny said with a raised eyebrow.

"That's okay," Harry said, "If you ever dump me, I can always run away and live in the forbidden forest. I'm sure Hagrid will come visit me occasionally and I can spend my days scaring away any students who venture near my hidden oasis."

"You know what," Ginny said, "I've changed my mind. I'm sure you can come up with something to tell my family on the spot. I suppose I'd forgotten what a ridiculous imagination you have when you're free to use it."

"Thank you," beamed Harry, "Now, if you'll wait just a moment, I'll run down and tell the Dursleys we're going, then I'll Apparate us out of here!"

"Wait!" cried Ginny, her voice suddenly sharp, her eyes hard, "I'm going with you."

Though Harry thought it was sort of sweet, in a deluded way that Ginny didn't want to leave him to face his relatives alone, he seriously did not want to face another shouting match like the one he had interrupted with his arrival.

"Perhaps you shouldn't…" Harry trailed off uncertainly. Ginny sighed in defeat.

"Well, how about a deal? I'll wait here while you say goodbye if," Ginny paused, "You can catch me!" she declared, taking off out the door and laughing insanely as she went.

Harry grinned, stopping only to grab the bag of belongings that had been his reason for returning to the house hours before, he gave chase. He could have easily overtaken her sooner, but instead, Harry laughingly allowed her to reach the kitchen before he scooped her up in his arms and spun her around. She stuck her tongue out at him, panting as she said, "I beat you! I win!"

"You might think you've won, but really any situation that ends with me getting to hold you makes me a winner," Harry told her teasingly, not even noticing how ridiculously corny he sounded.

"You two are together?" asked Dudley stupidly. He none the less startled Harry and Ginny severely, as they had forgotten about Harry's relatives and had not noticed the Dursleys in their preoccupation with each other. "How the hell did my cousin get a girl that looks like you?"

"Well, he traded my parents a stack of gold, a broomstick and three newt's eyes," Ginny informed him, "I was very flattered. That's a lot to pay for someone, don't you think?"

All three Dursleys stared at Ginny, flabbergasted, though it obviously didn't even begin to dawn on them that she was joking.

"Wow," said Ginny, turning to face the boy who was still holding her bridal style, "Not a sense of humour between them."

"I told you they were worse than Percy in that regard," Harry reminded Ginny, sounding resigned. "Now, would you please tell them you weren't serious, before their opinion of me sinks even lower than it currently is?"

"Okay, so maybe he got a girl like me because he's ridiculously handsome, filthy rich, the biggest hero of our time, incredibly kind, and has an affinity for orange bunnies and plaid grasshoppers," Ginny addressed Dudley, making Harry blush furiously. "Oh, and it helps that he's beyond excellent in bed."

"Ginny!" protested Harry, "There are just some things you don't say out loud!"

"Sorry," she replied, sounding not the least bit apologetic, "But he asked the question, and I hate to lie…"

"Oh, well, it's good, at least, to know that you only want me for my body, my fame and my money," Harry replied flippantly.

"What else would I want you for?" asked Ginny, sounding bemused.

"I haven't a clue," Harry replied, "It's not like I don't want you for the same reasons."

"Harry, I don't have any measure of fame or money," Ginny pointed out, purposely ignoring the slacked jawed family that gaped at her and her fiancé.

"Well, I guess it must be the other reason then," Harry said happily.

"You just want me for my body?" questioned Ginny, sounding interested rather than offended. "That's really shallow. I at least want you for about six different wrong reasons."

"Well, if I'm too shallow for you, then perhaps I will take my mum's rings back," Harry told her casually.

"That would probably be for the best," Ginny told him, making no move

to leave Harry's arms.

"Well, I'm rather relieved," Harry admitted, "This will save a lot of explaining to your family about the exact nature of our relationship."

"Wait!" cried Petunia, "You gave away Lily's rings?"

"What did you expect me to do, wear them?" asked Harry, genuinely surprised that his aunt hadn't expected him to give them to someone he loved.

"I- well, it's just- Lily's rings," stammered Aunt Petunia awkwardly.

"Aunt Petunia, I love Ginny," Harry told her simply, "I gave her the rings because I truly thought she should have them."

No one seemed to have anything to say to that, so, checking that both his bag and Ginny were secure, Harry nodded to the Dursleys, told them he was leaving for a bit and that he'd be by with food in a few days, did his trick of making them disappear and reappear instantly in the Burrow kitchen. As he did so, he made a promise to himself to see if Hermione could figure out how he did that. A moment later, however, that promise was forgotten. For the second time that day, Harry had the disconcerting feeling of suddenly appearing in the midst of a battlefield.

For a long, confused moment, Harry didn't know what was happening. People rushed through the kitchen, going every which way, looking harried. They shouted to each other, filling the air with a garbled mix of messages, none of which seemed to make any logical sense in plain English. However, after a moment, one shouted cry seemed to make all the others resolve into understandable sentences.

"Oi! Mum, Harry's got her!" cried Ron, "He must have got the letter Pig had after all!"

Suddenly the people who had been rushing about moments before all stopped and converged on Harry and the girl in his arms. Ginny quickly dropped to her own two feet, only to have several of her brothers give her rough hugs, expressing their relief. What exactly was happening escaped Harry and Ginny temporarily, but they eventually gathered that Mrs Weasley was under the impression that Ginny had gone missing and had called in all their friends and family to search for her. Guilt began to gnaw on Harry's insides. He had known that Ginny's mum would be worrying, yet he hadn't really made much of an effort to alleviate the woman's fears. His eyes met Ginny's, and she looked just as horribly guilt-ridden as he felt.

In that moment, Harry knew that they wouldn't be telling the Weasleys about their engagement that night, and he was rather disappointed. But really, it made no sense to tell the already distraught family something that was nearly tailored to cause them to be more upset and angry. Still, Harry vowed that he and Ginny would reveal their secrets by the next night at the absolute latest.

That night, the Burrow hosted an impromptu dinner party for all the searchers, and in the confusion, Harry and Ginny managed to put off telling anyone where Ginny had been until halfway through supper. They would have probably put it off longer, had the pair not been so conspicuously nice to one another after the long weeks of feuding. Things had started out well enough, because, even though they sat at the same end of the table, everyone seemed to have forgotten how that had worked out the last time it had happened. They had spent the first part of the meal laughing and joking with the twins, Tonks and Ron, before Charlie, who had only just come home from Romania for a visit that very day, turned to Ginny and asked what would have been a fatal question a few days before.

"So, what have you and Harry been up to since little brother got married?" he asked, gesturing to Ron, paled with fear that another fight was about to break loose. Tears swam in Hermione's eyes already; having overheard the question from Charlie's other side.

"You wouldn't believe the number of times she's told me to go jump in a lake and not bother coming up for air," Harry told Charlie solemnly.

"Yeah, well, you deserved it every time," Ginny retorted, mock-seriously, "You are the one who killed off the orange bunny!"

"Hey, I thought we agreed that we'd never speak of that again after the funeral, especially since the grasshopper ended up forgiving him before she died?" asked Harry, sounding hurt. Ron looked bemused. This sounded more like the nonsensical debates Harry and Ginny had often had last year, and didn't seem to resemble their bitter arguments of the recent past at all. A tiny flame of hope ignited in his heart.

"Yes I suppose we did agree to that," replied the girl serenely.

"You can't just go around talking about things we specifically agreed never to mention again," protested Harry, "Or would you like me to tell everyone about that thing with those house elves and those purple flowers?"

Ginny gasped, "You swore you'd never mention that week again! We made a solemn vow, and now you've gone and broken it! I suppose you know what this means, don't you?"

"Aw, Gin, do I have to?" begged Harry.

"You did break a vow Harry," she admonished, "And a solemn one at that!"

"I suppose you're right," Harry said with a sigh, "If only you were as merciful as you were beautiful."

"Don't think you can get out of this with some petty flattery. I've been looking forward to this since we agreed what you'd have to do if you broke a vow!" Ginny told him gleefully.

"Alright, you win. For now," Harry added before standing up and calling for quiet. "Attention everyone, I've got an announcement to make! Ahem... Ginny Weasley is the most wonderful person ever to exist in the history of the universe. If they were to hold elections for the most popular witch in the world, she would win unanimously. She is, simply put, the best, and I am her eternal slave. Thank you for listening. Now, I suggest you ask Ms Weasley about her whereabouts this afternoon while I go take a short stroll around the grounds."

"No way, Harry," Ginny said, pulling him down into his seat before anyone else could react to his odd pronouncement. "If you were any good as an eternal slave, you would not leave me here alone to explain what I've been up to."

"Well, I never promised to be a good eternal slave, just to be one," Harry said, grinning evilly.

"It was implied," Ginny argued, not acting as though she was aware that every eye was on the pair of them.

"But it was never expressly stated," argued Harry, sporting a maddening smile of superiority.

"Fine, then, don't be my eternal slave," Ginny said with a pout.

"Oh, no, I agreed to be your eternal slave, and be that I shall," Harry protested firmly, "I just don't plan to really stretch myself to do it."

"Well, I don't want a sub par slave," Ginny told him, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"Too bad," Harry said, grinning again, "You are stuck with one mediocre eternal slave!"

"Look, I don't know if the pair of you are planning on living forever," Fred complained.

"But as the rest of us aren't, then maybe you could debate this later," George suggested.

"Yeah," Bill agreed. He and Fleur had only been back at the Burrow a week and were as of yet unable to really cope with Harry and Ginny's spinning brand of logic peppered with bizarre inside jokes. The poor couple was still under the impression that they would eventually be able to catch up and even understand what went on between the other pair. "We'd like an explanation."

"Oh," Harry said, with a sly look at Ginny, "He wants an explanation."

"Well, then," Ginny said with a matching look, "Let's explain things to him."

"You see, Bill," Harry began, walking around the table, Ginny at his heels, and leaning in beside Bill, with the girl on her elder brother's other side.

"When a man and a women love each other very much-"

"Ginny!" cried far too many voices to count.

"It's not fair," she pouted, "Harry didn't get yelled at."

"Look," said Ron. He felt he had better than average chances of getting the information they wanted from the pair because of his long experience in the field, "We want to know where Ginny was this afternoon and what she was doing when Harry found her. We all already know where babies come from." Here Ron looked at his pregnant wife, who was blushing almost well enough to be mistaken for one of her in-laws.

"Oh," sighed Harry, "That explanation is far more boring."

"Give it to us anyway," suggested Hermione, who knew that Harry and Ginny often had weird perceptions of what things were boring when they were in strange moods like the one they were currently in.

"Well," Ginny began, "Only this morning I received a letter telling me of the double funeral of a couple of very good friends of mine, the Orange Bunny and the Plaid Grasshopper. I immediately rushed off to attend, because the letter was late, and I had only moments to spare."

"I met up with her at the funeral, as I had also received a late letter from the funeral coordinator. He was the grasshopper's brother, and understandably too lost in grief to be very prompt with correspondence," Harry explained, "All the same, we both made it in time for a very moving ceremony and a very brief eulogy."

"That's a rather morbid way to spend the afternoon," Ron pointed out, with the mild interest of one who had heard way too many of Harry and Ginny's weird imaginary tales to take them seriously. "Especially since you were so attached to the Rabbit and the Cricket."

"Well," Harry admitted, "It was a very solemn afternoon, right up until I happened upon Ginny yelling rather loudly at my aunt, uncle and cousin."

"Yes," agreed Ginny tranquilly, "That did rather kill the mood, didn't it?"

"My dear, had it gone on much longer, I'm certain it would have killed my remaining family as well," Harry commented cheerfully. "Thankfully Ginny is easily distracted. Or, at least she is when you throw her over your shoulder and physically remove her from the room. I think I'm going to go for that stroll around the house now. I'm sure Ginny could be persuaded to tell you in great detail about the look of complete horror on my uncle's face when he realised that he was being told off for being nasty to me by one very small sixteen year old girl. Particularly since recent events have forced him to be non-awful to me."

This time Ginny reluctantly let him go. She borrowed a trick from Harry and calmly turned back to her plate and started eating, blithely ignoring the stir that their 'performance' had caused.

"Ginerva, we taught you better than all that," scolded Mrs Weasley, "To think, my only daughter, yelling her head off at adults!"

"Mother," Ginny snapped icily, dropping her pretend ignorance of everyone else's presence in the room. "They kept him in a cupboard until he was eleven years old. He cleaned every room in their house and made every meal from the time he was five years old. Harry had broken seven bones by the time he was nine years old! Or should I say, Dudley had broken seven of Harry's bones by that time? The least those people deserved was a little yelling."

Then Ginny herself left the room, to go in search of Harry, leaving a silent table in her wake.

"They weren't that bad," declared Molly, "They couldn't have been that bad, or we would have known!"

"Mum," Ron said quietly, "Hermione and I have seen the cupboard. The whole time we were staying with him last summer, Harry refused to go anywhere but his bedroom or the kitchen, like he wasn't allowed anywhere else."

"There were _bars_ on his bedroom window when we went to get him that time when he wasn't answering Ron's letters," George reminded her.

"And his door was locked shut! They probably never let him out," Fred went on.

"Just to go to the bathroom," Hermione supplied, "He told me that, and that they were feeding him one bowl of tinned soup a day. Harry only told me because I found him apologizing to Hedwig that summer, and I asked him why. H-he said it was because he hadn't been able to feed her much, or let her hunt. He got this worried look, and told me that he had only had the one bowl of soup, and that he would have given her all of it, except that she would scarcely eat it, and he was hu-hungry."

"I didn't know that," Ron said quietly.

"I didn't think much of it," Hermione replied, tears marring her pretty face, "He said little things like that all the time, and I never really understood that he was serious, that he wasn't exaggerating. Now I'm certain that it was just the opposite; Harry probably never told us the worst of it."

"I owe that boy an apology," Mrs Weasley said, face pale, "That poor child! And all that time, I ignored my misgivings, I let Albus convince me he would be all right with those people!"

"Molly," Arthur said gently, "I think we're all guilty of not wanting to see what the Dursleys were, Albus as well as the rest of us."

"Yes, well, some were guiltier than others," Remus said, self-disgust clear in his voice, "I should never have let my own selfish wish to forget keep me from getting to know Harry sooner. I should have done something for him when I finally did meet him…"

"Well, you can all focus on what you should have done for Harry," Tonks said, a hard look in her normally mischievous eyes, "I'm going to do something for him now."

With that she got up from the table and Apparated away.

Meanwhile, in the Orchard, Ginny and Harry were lost in a world of their own, though both had half a mind on the dinner party that was still going on inside.

"So, are you planning to visit me," Harry asked randomly.

"Visit you? Where are you going?" asked Ginny, sitting up from her position reclining against Harry, who was in turn leaning on a tree, facing the nearby pond.

"Well, I'm going into hiding of course," Harry replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "There is no way I can stick around in plain sight and survive through all the pitying looks and awkward apologies for imagined wrongs they've done me."

"Oh," Ginny replied profoundly, "Sorry, I didn't really think about that when I was telling them… what I told them."

"That's okay, so long as you promise to visit me while I'm in hiding," Harry told her generously.

"Maybe we should both go into hiding," suggested Ginny, snuggling into his chest again.

"Yeah, but we'll tell them everything first," Harry said with a chuckle, "That way we can hide from that fallout and all the pity at once, so we won't have to disappear twice."

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" Ginny sighed wistfully, "Not the hiding part so much as the being alone together part. There's no way we will get any privacy once they know we're dating, or engaged or whatever."

"Let's do it," Harry said, sitting up, and forcing Ginny to do so as well, "Ginny, go away with me for a few weeks, just the two of us!"

"We can't just tell them and leave," protested Ginny, "That's irresponsible, and besides, they would never let us go away in peace if they knew we were together. They'd ruin our vacation entirely!"

"Well," Harry said, tweaking the plan that suddenly began to seem brilliant, at least in his own mind, "I'll tell everyone that I'm going on a trip, just to see what's out there, now that I have all this future on my hands, and no idea what to do with it. Ron and Hermione are moving out in four days, the day after my birthday. You just have to act really sulkily and lonely once they do, and I'll 'suddenly' decide to invite you along, because you're so 'upset'! It's perfect! We can spend the last month of summer together, and you can come home the day before you go back to school. We'll tell them our secret that night, and both make a clean get away."

"Harry," began Ginny slowly, "You're a genius! I love it!"

"All right, then let's get to it," Harry suggested. "We can make an early night of it, avoid the rest of them, and in the morning I'll announce my solo departure."

Ginny silently prayed that their acting skills were up to one last test before they retired their lies for good at the end of the summer. She had wanted to be through with misleading everyone by now, but spending time with Harry after so many weeks of fighting was definitely worth a few more little fibs, and even a bald-faced lie or two.


	41. Chapter 41: Fleeing Family

**Chapter Forty-One**

**Fleeing Family**

Before Harry could even begin to worry about finding an opening to announce his sudden decision to travel, Hermione handed him the perfect opportunity. As the four youngest occupants of the Burrow were at the kitchen table eating breakfast, Harry's best friend turned to him, seeming rather overly casual.

"So, Harry, I was thinking," Hermione began, "Why don't you come and spend some time with Ron and I at our new house, once we move in? There's an extra bedroom, so you could stay awhile."

"No, thank you," Harry said, glancing up only briefly from his cereal. "I've got other plans."

"You've made plans?" Hermione said, sounding startled. She looked to Ron and Ginny, both of whom shrugged, denying previous knowledge of Harry's 'plans'.

"Yeah," he replied, concentrating on his toast, "I'm going to travel."

"Travel?" asked Hermione, who seemed to be rather slower than usual on the uptake that morning.

"Where?" asked Ron, who was as blindsided as his wife.

"Oh, here and there," Harry said lightly, "I don't really know where exactly."

"When are you going?" asked Ginny sharply, sounding a bit dangerous.

"Er, the day after my birthday…" Harry admitted, sounding hesitant.

"And were you planning on telling me?" asked Ginny, "Or were you just going to go, and leave me here all alone at the same time as Ron and Hermione?"

"Gin, it's not like that!" protested Harry.

"The hell it isn't, Harry Potter!" cried Ginny, jumping up from the table, tears choking her voice.

"I just… I just have to see what's out there, now that I don't have bloody Voldemort to think about!" he protested pleadingly, as though trying to make Ginny see his way.

"Yeah, well, just because you don't have to think about him, doesn't mean you can stop thinking about your friends!" Ginny shot back, stomping out of the kitchen and up to her room.

Harry turned to appeal to Ron and Hermione, "I didn't mean to upset her! I just… I need to figure out what I want to do, and I can't do that here! I didn't want to hurt her feelings again, and I don't want her angry at me after we've only just made up!"

"Oh, Harry, it's not just your fault," cried Hermione, "Ginny probably feels like we're all leaving her out, and really, we have been!"

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Harry protested, "And it doesn't make Ginny any less mad."

"Why is Ginny mad at you, dear?" asked Mrs Weasley as she bustled into the kitchen, carrying a basket of eggs she had just gathered.

"Because she feels left out," Hermione explained. "We're all leaving in a few days, and she'll be here on her own."

"Harry, tell me you're not planning on going back to stay with your aunt!" protested Mrs Weasley indignantly, "I simply won't allow you to do that to yourself!"

"Er…no, I wasn't planning that," Harry assured her, "But I am planning on travelling for a while. I'm leaving in four days."

"Oh," Mrs Weasley said, offering a rather weak smile, "I suppose I can understand why Ginny feels left out."

"I'm sorry," Harry told her earnestly, "I'll think of a way to make it up to her, I promise!"

"Oh, there's no need for that, dear," Mrs Weasley told him.

Harry didn't say anything to that, and just took his leave. He thought that he had laid a pretty fine framework to convince the Weasleys to let him take Ginny away for a while.

Over the next few days, Ginny built splendidly on that framework, sulking, crying softly and generally moping around the house. Harry played his part by appearing as guilty and wretched as he knew how. Then, the last night that Ron and Hermione were at the Burrow before moving to their new home, Harry and Ginny made their move. The Burrow's garden was full of people that night, all celebrating Harry's birthday, as well as saying goodbye to the trio before they left in the morning, Harry for his vague travels and Ron and Hermione to Hogsmeade.

Half way through supper, Ginny sighed as though her heart was breaking when Fred asked Harry where he was going first, and Harry got to his feet, silencing the table. "Okay, Ginerva, I've had enough of this. Do you actually have something to say, or do you just plan to keep pouting forever?"

"Oh, so I'm not allowed to be upset because my best friends and my brother are all abandoning me?" she retorted, ignoring the gaping people around her.

"Oh, you're allowed to be upset, but only if you actually plan to do something about it!"

"Well, sorry if I'm not sure what can be done!" the girl replied, getting to her feet and facing Harry over a large bowl of mashed potatoes.

"Merlin, Gin, you can't tell me that you don't know what to do!" Harry retorted, sounding exasperated, even though he had known for several hours that this 'argument' was coming.

"Why don't you tell me what I should do, if you're so smart?" Ginny threw at him petulantly.

"All right, I will spell it out for you," Harry agreed, "Just come along with me."

Ginny let an utter silence fall, and, as she had hoped, no one dared break it. Finally, with a dramatic quiver in her voice, she asked, "Just, come along with you?"

"Yeah," Harry said, with a half grin.

"You wouldn't mind?" Ginny asked in a small voice.

"Babe, I'd love to have you along," he told her, "After all, who better to travel the world with than your best friend?"

"Oh, Harry!" Ginny squealed, launching herself right over the low picnic table and into Harry's arms, "Thank you!"

"Yeah, whatever, kid," he replied with a grin, "Just go pack."

Ginny gave Harry another squeeze and then racing back into the house and up to her room.

Harry smiled to himself and then went back to his meal, apparently oblivious to those around him. Everyone at the table continued to stare at him, and finally, Harry was forced to look up at Fred, acting as if he had only just noticed their reactions.

"What?" he asked.

"What?" repeated Bill, "Isn't that more our line?"

"If you say so," Harry replied with a shrug. "But if you mean you want me to the answer the question, then you'll have to give me a bit more. Do you want to know 'what' time it is, or 'what' makes the sky blue, or 'what' methods of extracting information from an unwilling flubberworm I most recommend?"

"Pick the first one," Ron advised his elder brother, "Sometimes that's the only safe question to ask Harry or Ginny."

"Okay," Hermione began, feeling obliged to be the Harry-normal person translator on this occasion. "Harry, _what_ just happened with you and Ginny?"

"Oh," Harry said with a shrug. "We just decided that she would tag along while I travel this summer. Really, I should have thought to offer days ago, but I guess it just took me a while to work that out."

"Er, Harry," Ron said delicately, "Did you maybe think that there was someone else you should have asked before Ginny?"

"Well, I was considering asking along Harmony Blackwell, but then I decided that the appeal of spending a month hiding from someone would fade fairly quickly," Harry said thoughtfully, "And then I thought of inviting along Professor Binns, but I figured that would get awkward fairly quickly. So, really, I think taking Ginny on vacation is the safest bet." 

"I meant," Ron began again, tiredly, "Don't you think you should have asked two particular people whether or not Ginny was allowed to run off for a month before inviting said daughter to do just that?"

"Er, well, no," Harry said, "But perhaps that should have occurred to me. My sincerest apologies, Fred, George," he said, turning to the twins, "Have you any objection to the plan."

"Mate, as much as we admire your dedication to a joke," George began.

"We advise you to cut the crap and just ask mum and dad," finished Fred.

"Oh," said Harry with a look of dawning comprehension. "Right… the parents."

"Yeah," Ron said, "The parents." He was too relieved that the point had been made to even feel exasperated that it had taken so long.

"Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley," Harry began formally, "Would you mind so terribly if I took Ginny on a bit of a trip this summer?"

"I, uh, guess that depends," Mr Weasley said, not really sure how to take this facet of Harry's personality.

"May I be so bold as to inquire on what your permission depends?" he asked politely.

"Well, where are you going, and will you be back in time for Ginny to go to school?"

"As to the second, I will personally guarantee that Miss Weasley will arrive in plenty of time for school," Harry said, "But I refuse to tell you where I'm going."

"Why?" asked Ron wearily, knowing that Harry had to have some bizarre and convoluted reason.

"Well, you see, I haven't a clue of where I'm going as of yet, and I feel I should be the first to know," Harry replied apologetically, "I hope you understand."

"Er…" began Mr Weasley valiantly, then sighed, "The truth is, son, I rarely understand what you're talking about. But I do understand that you care about Ginny quite a bit, so I suppose, if you're there to look out for her, then there's really no reason for us to stop her from accompanying you."

Harry's heart swelled with relief and joy, though he was careful not to drop his cultivated, overly polite mannerisms. "Thank you very much, sir. If I may, I'll take my leave now, and go instruct the child as to what to pack."

With a polite nod that somehow put observers in mind of sweeping bows and courtly elegance, Harry ambled into the house and out of sight.

"I never know what to make of him," Charlie Weasley said after a moment. He had come home to the Burrow for the weekend in honour of the occasions, as had his brothers, Bill, Percy, Fred and George.

"How do you think I feel," Ron complained, "He's been my best friend since I was eleven and suddenly I woke up one morning completely unable to comprehend the conversations he and Ginny have. Half the time he's the Harry he always was, but then he can be completely in charge and in control, even when it really makes him sick with nerves. Or he can spend the better part of a year talking about an imaginary bug."

"You make him sound barking mad!" admonished Hermione.

"Sometimes, I think he is," Ron countered. "But then I remember everything he's done and everything he's gone through, and I realize, he's completely entitled to be insane if that's what he wants."

No one said much after that, as all finished their meal, contemplating the extreme oddity that was Harry James Potter.

Meanwhile, the subject of their contemplation was in the small bedroom of his girlfriend, laughing madly at a small joke and revelling in anticipation of the journey they would soon be embarking on together. Somehow, no one thought to check on Ginny after dinner that night as everyone turned in, and so the couple was still awake when the wee hours of morning came and silence reigned in the Burrow. They had long since fallen into the bed, where they had lain entwined and passed the hours in each others company as they hadn't really been able to for months.

At four-thirty in the morning, Ginny roused herself from her light doze and found she was gazing up into Harry's warm green eyes. "Good morning, babe," he whispered huskily.

"Have you been awake all this time?" Ginny asked him, trying to hide a yawn.

"Yeah," he replied sheepishly, "I was almost afraid if I went to sleep, it wouldn't be real anymore."

"That's silly," replied the sleepy redhead, "And far too scary to talk about."

"You should get some sleep, Gin," Harry replied, "I want to get going early so we can get settled in and enjoy the first day of our trip."

"You need sleep, too," Ginny said, closing her eyes and snuggling closer to Harry and deeper under the covers.

"I know," he admitted, "I just couldn't bring myself to leave you and head up to a room full of your brothers."

"I forgot the twins were in with you!" Ginny replied, sitting up, suddenly awake, "You need to get up there, before they want to know where you were all night!"

"Okay, okay," Harry said, reluctantly pulling himself from the warm bed and throwing on his jeans. "I'm going."

Ginny watched from the comfort of her bed as Harry threw on his clothes and sleepily trudged to the door. Just before he left, she called out to him, "Night, babe, I love you."

"Love you, too, Gin," he whispered in reply.

Only two hours later, Fred and George prodded Harry awake. When he groaned, one of them –it was far too early to attempt to pick out which one- smiled wickedly and the other asked, "Late night, Harry?"

"Er, yeah, it was," he replied, wondering how to excuse his absence.

"Just how late _were_ you and Gin-Gin up?" asked the other.

"I dunno," Harry replied groggily, "The girl had a lot of stuff to pack."

"Oh," said a twin.

"You were packing, were you?" asked the other, sounding highly suspicious.

"Well, packing and trying to decide how to break to all of you that we're engaged and planning on eloping on the summit of Mt Everest today," Harry said, "But I wasn't supposed to mention that last part."

Harry levered himself out of bed and headed for the shower before either twin could respond. He was downstairs, preparing breakfast before anyone else was up, though when Mrs Weasley arrived at quarter to seven, she threw him out of the kitchen. He munched on toast as the Weasleys slowly trickled into the kitchen with varying degrees of reluctance. Hermione was the first one down, and she chatted animatedly about opening the Weasley Wizard Wheezes shop in Hogsmeade, and about the house she and Ron had in the village. She told Harry repeatedly that he and Ginny were to come and visit at some point in the next month, if only for a few evenings. She also told him that if after Ginny had returned to school, he wanted to stay with them for a while, there would still be room.

Harry nodded along dutifully, all the while wondering whether it would be worth it to dig up his old potions books to see if he could find a recipe for pepper up potion. He decided in the end to have an extra cup of coffee and convince Ginny that naps were in order for that night.

Finally, just as Harry was thinking he might have to go wake her himself, Ginny stumbled into the kitchen and practically fell into her seat, and slumped against Harry, who was seated next to her. "Are you sure you're up to travelling with me?" he asked with a smile. "You look totally done in."

"I'm just not a morning person," she told him, not opening her eyes.

"I told you taking up certain nocturnal activities would have side effects," Harry scolded her.

"What nocturnal activities has Ginny taken up?" asked Charlie, feeling that one of Ginny's brothers should at least make some token protest to Harry's insinuation.

"She's taken up Midnight Goat Milking," Harry said without batting an eye. "She's been at it for three months now, and all those sleepless nights are finally starting to catch up with her. That's why I insisted she take this trip with me; she needs a nice long, goat-free rest."

"Good idea, Harry," Ron said absently, "You make sure that the goats leave her alone for a while."

"I will," Harry replied solemnly, "Now, dearest, darling, do you have your things?"

"Shrunk… pocket." Ginny said simply.

"Alright, then I suppose we shall bid you all fare well," Harry said, pulling Ginny fully into his lap, "I'll be sure to drop you all a line." Then he vanished, as he was wont to do.

"How the hell does he do that?" Fred asked conversationally.

"It's not Apparition," Bill put in, "Because he doesn't have to stand or turn, or even concentrate…"

"It is Apparition," argued Hermione, "Or, it almost is. It's sort of like the basic idea, but in a much more raw form. I think he can do it because Harry has access to absolutely enormous reserves of power."

"He does?" asked Charlie. The dragon-tamer wasn't precisely surprised to hear that the boy was really powerful, only interested to see if his sister-in-law could explain why he was.

"I think it's because the link between Harry and Voldemort," Hermione said promptly, after nodding in reply to Charlie, "They were connected and some of their abilities and talents sort of leaked between them, like Parsletongue. Harry could always summon power from Voldemort, and that's how he was able to do it before, but I don't think Harry really knew that's what he was doing, because he did it first while being chased by a group of sixth year girls. When Voldemort died, there was all that power that had no where to go, but into Harry, through that link. That's my theory, at least."

"That's all well and good," George said; his eyes, and those of his twin, twinkling madly with mischief.

"But tell us more about Harry being hunted down by a group of girls!" demanded Fred.

Harry and Ginny spent the first week of their vacation lounging on the private island in the south sea that Sirius's family had owned. There a small post owl from Remus found them. When the bird dropped the letter onto Harry's chest, he happened to be lying next to Ginny on the beach. He sat up and opened the missive as Ginny laid her head on his lap. Harry read the letter out to her.

"Dear Harry,

'I have two very good pieces of news for you! First of all, Tonks has settled your relatives in a nice house in a quiet neighbourhood. Grimmauld Place is yours alone; once again, should you and Miss Weasley get bored in your far flung corner of the world, feel free to use it.'

'The second bit of news is that Tonks has agreed to marry me. The wedding will be at Christmas time, and when you get back, I hope you'll consider being my best man.'

'Hopefully you'll take the time to reply, and tell me what you and Ginny have been up to. Everyone here is very curious where you've got to, seeing as you've yet to write one letter!'

'Enjoy the rest of your trip, and make sure you get on top of your correspondence!

'Remus"

"We really haven't written a word, have we?" Ginny asked guiltily, "And after we promised!"

"I'm sure they'll forgive us," Harry said.

"Still, we should write everyone this afternoon," Ginny sighed.

"You know what's odd?" Harry asked, frowning slightly.

"Purple bananas? Walking on the ceiling? The concept of Snape washing his hair?" suggested Ginny.

"Well, yes, all that is decidedly strange stuff," Harry allowed, "But the odd thing I was referring to was contained in Remus's letter."

"The fact that he calls his fiancé by her last name?" Ginny tried again.

"Well, that, and the fact that he didn't tell me where the Dursleys moved to. Not so much as the town let alone their address." Harry informed the girl.

"Maybe that's a good thing," Ginny replied stonily, thinking that the farther removed from those people Harry was, the better.

"Why?" asked Harry, "I think Aunt Petunia was starting to come round…"

"Well," Ginny said, forcing a cheeky smile to light her face, "That's three fewer people I have to share you with!"

"However shall we spend the time I would otherwise have devoted to my family?" asked Harry with a grin.

"I'll show you, if you can catch me!" Ginny cried, jumping up and splashing into the warm salt waters. Harry laughed and took off after her, all thoughts of the Dursleys banished from his mind.

Harry spent another two days on Sirius's island before leaving for Paris, then Rome, Venice and even Monaco for a few days. They dropped in and spent one night with Ron and Hermione, and another few days in Grimmauld Place, for old time's sake. They flitted across the globe for the rest of the summer, stopping in New York, Las Vegas, and Chicago. They returned to the island to spend their last night of vacation on the beach, sleeping out under the stars. In all that time, the real world did not intrude into their lives, except in the form of brief letters to those back in England,

That all changed when, just as they were preparing to leave, an unfamiliar owl swooped down on them and dropped a sealed parchment with the Hogwarts crest on it. Ginny expected it to be for her, even though she had received her school letter weeks ago. Harry had taken her shopping to get all her school things, insisting that she spend his money.

Instead, the letter was addressed to Harry. He opened it up, read it quickly and then stared at Ginny in shock.

"Professor Brookson has had to quit suddenly and go back to Canada because her father's ill. The new Headmistress has offered me the DADA job, based on McGonagall's suggestion!"

Slowly a grin slid onto Ginny's face, until she let out an exuberant cry and danced about foolishly. "I won't have to go back alone!" she cried excitedly, until she noticed that Harry was looking for too serious for the situation. "What? Don't you want the job?"

"Actually, teaching Defence is about the only thing I could really imagine myself doing with my life," Harry said, "But they won't want me teaching at Hogwarts after tonight."

"What? Why?" asked Ginny.

"Well, Professor McGonagall is going to be at your house for dinner tonight, and we're going to be announcing our engagement," Harry reminded her, "She's not going to want a teacher who just happens to be about to marry one of her students."

"Harry Potter, you are so not allowed to give up your dream job on account of me!" Ginny protested fiercely, "If you want to teach at Hogwarts, then we'll do whatever we have to in order to make that happen!"

"Even if that means we'll have to keep our relationship a secret for another year?" Harry demanded harshly.

Ginny paused and took a deep breath, making her decision. "Even then."

"No." Harry stated mulishly, "I won't ask you to lie for me any more."

"You're not asking, babe. I'm offering," Ginny retorted, "In fact, I'm not offering, I'm threatening. If you don't take this job, then I'm breaking up with you!"

"So I can either pretend for another year that you don't mean the world to me, or I can actually be with out you?" Harry cried, incredulous, "Some options you've left me."

"Does that mean that you'll do it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I suppose it does," Harry said after a long moment.

"Good," Ginny said, with a huge grin, "Because I really had no intention of actually breaking up with you. I was just bluffing."

"You're really very evil, did you know that?" Harry asked as her infectious grin suddenly had him smiling in return.

"I know," she said, "But that's okay, because you're really very un-evil, so we balance each other out."

"Oh, you don't think I can be evil, do you?" Harry asked, eyeing the scanty bathing suit that she was wearing, as he flicked his hand and sneakily sent their bags back to the Burrow.

"You haven't got an evil bone in your body," she commented, with a teasing grin.

"Come here, you," Harry said, tugging her into his arms for a long kiss. He quickly parted Ginny from even the small cover offered by her skimpy bathing suit. He nibbled on her neck, making her moan, slid his hands slowly and expertly over her body. In a matter of minutes, Harry had Ginny thoroughly aroused and panting under him.

Then he murmured in her ear, "Gin?"

"Yeah?" she replied raggedly, his hands doing unspeakably good things between her legs.

"I've got all your clothes," he murmured cryptically before disappearing. Ginny took a minute to understand exactly what had happened when she found herself quite suddenly abandoned nude on the beach by her boyfriend. When the message did penetrate her brain, she wondered if he could possibly have the nerve to return to the Burrow leaving her in her present predicament. She dashed up to the little cottage that they had been staying in, and searched the place for something to wear.

Ginny supposed if she got desperate enough, she could transfigure something into a rough set of clothing, but counted herself lucky when she found one of Harry's abandoned t-shirts under the bed. Ginny was particularly skilled at making clothes out of random objects, but she could manage to turn the shirt into a perfectly acceptable dress by magically shifting its proportions. Suddenly inspired, Ginny made a few further alterations to the dress, making it tighter, lower cut, and all together less-t-shirt-like and much more naughty.

When Harry turned up ten minutes later, having finally located her hiding spot, he gulped. "I, uh, brought your clothes back," he said, unable to take his eyes off her.

"Oh," Ginny said, "How kind! But, as you can see, I've made do, and I rather like this dress, so I'll pass. Are you ready to go to dinner?"

Ginny only barely concealed a wicked grin as she imagined Harry forced to pretend all night that he didn't think of her as anything more than a sister to impress Professor McGonagall while she lounged about in her new 'outfit'.

This night was going to be fun, and not just because they'd once again somehow avoided the messy business of confessing to their lies.


	42. Chapter 42: Settling

**Chapter Forty-two**

**Settling **

Dinner was just as fun as Ginny predicted, what with the excitement of everyone being back together briefly before the end of

"We're home!" Ginny announced loudly into the relative silence of the Burrow's kitchen when they arrived there shortly before noon. Molly Weasley turned from the pot she was stirring on the stove top and, with a great exclamation of joy, rushed to the young pair.

"Ginny! Harry!" she cried, pulling both into a bone-crushing motherly hug.

"Mum! You're strangling us!" yelped Ginny laughingly after several long minutes.

"Oh! I'm sorry, dears," she said, mopping away a few errant tears. "Here, Ginny, why don't you go take out some dishes? Your brothers are setting lunch up in the garden. They've all come home for a special family dinner. Harry, dear, you can take the cutlery."

Both teens hurried to do as instructed, looking forward to the big family lunch that they had once planned to cloud with revelations of secrets and lies.

Two hours later, the eleven Weasleys, including the two daughters-in-law, Fleur and Hermione, as well as Harry, Remus and Tonks, were relaxing in the garden in one big group. As they digested Molly's wonderful lunch, Harry produced a small sack that had been charmed to fit all the gifts they had brought home for their friends and family. There was something for everyone in attendance, as well as a few things for others, like Luna, Neville, Kingsley and Madeye.

As Harry pulled each item from the bag, Ginny saw to it that it got to it's proper owner with a flick of her wand. Everyone seemed thrilled with their gifts and soon began demanding that Harry and Ginny share the details of their vacation. Ginny immediately launched into an enthusiastic tale about shopping in wizarding Paris. Harry nodded along for a moment, until he realized that Ginny was loosing most of their audience. Harry promptly leapt to his feet, and called a halt to Ginny's story in the most dramatic way he could manage, taking into consideration time and material constraints.

"STOP!" he cried, "Ginerva, you're not really going to tell all these nice people what happened after that, are you?"

"So what if I am?" asked Ginny, who had merely intended to continue rhapsodizing about the variety of shops available, but was now just as content to see what Harry had up his sleeve. What ever it was would likely be highly entertaining, because Harry's silly streak always was.

"If you dare mention it, I'll just have to tell everyone about that night in Rome," Harry threatened with a triumphant smile, "You know, with the Italian waiter."

Ginny gasped, and blushed. She would never have suspected that Harry would threaten her with real secrets, but if that was how he wanted to play…

"You won't say a word, unless you want everyone to know about those three witches, that night in Paris!" Ginny countered.

"Yeah, well- wait, which three?" asked Harry, "The set from the first night, or the ones when we were back there two nights ago?"

"There were two sets?" asked Ginny, looking very surprised indeed.

"Er…never mind," Harry said hastily.

"No, wait, I want to hear about the second set! Did the same exact thing happen again?" Ginny asked eagerly while stifling a giggle.

"Tell you what, if you forget I ever mentioned Victore, Marie and Suzette, than I'll keep my mouth shut about the Stonehenge incident," Harry offered, holding out a hand for Ginny to shake.

"Okay," Ginny agreed prissily, taking Harry's hand, "But only because three actually had names, at least."

"Right, I'm sure they have," Harry said, "Just because I don't happen to know what they are…"

"But you said…" Ginny began accusingly.

"I lied," Harry said with a wide grin, "But you shook on it, so now you can't talk about the Paris girls."

"Well," Ginny said huffily, "At least you can't bring up what happened at Stonehenge."

"Yeah, but I've still got Venice on you, plus that thing with the disgruntled goblin," Harry countered with another wicked grin.

"Well, I've got that thing with those Veela and then the time on the beach, with that dog, if you ever choose to release the details of Venice or the Goblin thing!" Ginny replied, crossing her arms.

"The dog thing, Ginny?" asked Harry with a wince, "Low blow!"

"Hey, at least I left out that night in the dance club," Ginny offered consolingly.

"With that French diplomat!" groaned Harry, "I was hoping you forgot!"

"I wasn't the one downing all the firewhiskey that night, now was I?" Ginny reminded him, "And I'm not the one who decided to leave your glasses at the hotel."

"Oh, but you were the one who attracted the stalker that forced us to leave Monaco! Or have you forgotten that charming Italian waiter?" Harry asked sweetly.

"Well, at least I didn't actually get us chased out of practically a whole country, like you did with those girls in Spain!"

"Okay, it was one town, one town, not a whole country," Harry corrected her, "And in my defence, how was I supposed to know that they were that young? They looked older than me!"

"Okay, I do not want to hear anymore of that particular story!" Hermione hastily protested.

"Oh, sorry, guys," Ginny apologized, "What do you want to hear about?"

"How about the Italian waiter Harry keeps mentioning?" one of the twins asked.

"The first or the second one?" asked Harry, grinning wickedly again.

"There were two?" asked Charlie. Harry just nodded while Ginny airily polished her nails and ignored the rest of them.

"First one, then," George said quickly, before any over-protectiveness could get too far out of control.

"Oh, good! I hoped you'd pick Paulo," Harry said, grin widening, "You see, there we were in Rome, admiring the back streets, and refusing to admit we were lost, when Ginny managed to trip over her own feet and did a spectacular dive into the gutter. She ripped her jeans and cut her knee. Then, to cap off her series of brilliant moves, she pulls out her wand and stitches up both the knee and the pants. Unfortunately enough, at just that moment, a rather burly waiter was taking a short cut home, and happened to see the results of the magic, and instantly decided that Ginny was some sort of Goddess. To make an incredibly, painfully long story short, Paulo ended up following us around Rome for two days until we left by airplane, just because Ginny wanted to try muggle travel. Again, unfortunately, upon arriving at our hotel in Monaco, we discovered that Paulo had followed us. We switched hotels twice, but ended up having to leave the country entirely to loose him."

"Wait," began Tonks, who was seated on the ground, leaning against her betrothed's legs, "If Paulo was the Italian waiter in Rome and Monaco, then who was the second one?"

"Oh, he brought us our food in Rome before we met the stalking waiter and he insisted on serving Ginny," Harry explained.

"All this has just reminded me that I promised Paulo that I would write the moment I was safely home, so that he won't worry," Ginny told the crowd in general, before dashing off to the house, humming a vague sort of tune.

"She's writing her stalker?" asked Remus, sounding amazed.

"Well, he was a very nice guy," Harry said with a shrug, "He just misinterpreted a few key points."

Silence reigned for a moment, then Charlie leaned forward. "Were there really three witches both nights in Paris?" he asked conspiratorially.

"Actually I averaged it out. There were two the second time and four the first, but Ginny only counted three, what with all the confetti and fireworks, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention that to her," Harry replied, "I wouldn't want her opinion of me to sink any lower than the whole Spanish twins run in made it."

"Alright, the question has to be asked," George began with a grin.

"Just how old were they?" finished Fred.

"Just a minute boys," Remus began gravely, "As a former Marauder and the best friend of Sirius Black and James Potter, I'd like to advise you that sometimes you really shouldn't ask questions. Sometimes its easier to just pretend that people are nice, safe paragon's of virtue."

"You make Sirius, Dad and I sound so sleazy," Harry pouted, "They weren't that far from their seventeenth birthdays."

"How far?" asked Hermione shrewdly. She might not have been used to Harry saying anything to perpetuate his playboy reputation, but Hermione was most definitely used to the loose conception of time, space and reality that Harry and Ginny often had.

"Six months," Harry said simply, watching as everyone seemed to decide that six months wasn't such a big deal after all. Everyone seemed ready to move on, until someone made a disbelieving snort from behind his back.

"Six months, Harry, really? Because I could have sworn their very angry father said something all together different," Ginny said with an innocently puzzled look.

"Well, it may have been more along the lines of a year," Harry admitted, to which Ginny snorted again, "Plus the original six months…" Ginny raised one doubting eyebrow, "Oh, alright, they were two and a half years younger than me! Happy?"

"My, my, Mr Potter, that would make them what, fifteen?" Ginny said, "I hope you at least caught there names."

"Nothing happened with them, and you know it. Their father showed up about fifteen minutes after they did! Rosa and Isabelle showed up, giggled a lot, invited me out for a drink, giggled some more, and asked for an autograph before their very angry father showed up, at which point they ran away, crying hysterically and the father yelled and ran us out of town! I barely laid a hand on either one."

"That's rather disappointing, that is," Charlie said, "I'm beginning to wonder about those girls in Paris."

"Oh, I still have scratches up and down my back from Paris," Harry replied, "I can prove it to you, if you like." Harry said it all flippantly, but he made sure not to look at Ginny, for fear one of them would blush, remembering who had really marked up his back.

"Ginny, where were you when ol' Harry was getting his back all tiger-striped?" asked Tonks slyly. She had had a conversation with Harry's aunt when the Dursleys were being moved that made Tonks wonder if certain things were really what they seemed.

"She was off watching the fireworks with a certain person who I'm not to tell you about," Harry put in, whispering loud enough to be heard by everyone.

"Harry to we really need to descend into the murky depths of who has more secrets on whom again?" Ginny asked with artful superiority and disdain, "Because, considering my bedroom all year was one thin stone wall away from yours, I know a lot more about you than you might think."

"Surely you're not suggesting there's any truth to all the rumours last year?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Ginny, I'll pay you a thousand galleons not to answer that question!" Harry declared, looking on the verge of panic. Everyone turned to stare at Harry. "What?" he asked defensively, "Ron and Hermione were always off snogging and Ginny, for whatever reason, refused to spend all her time entertaining me with stories about the bunny and the grasshopper's ill fated love… I had to fill up all my empty time with something!"

"Don't worry about the money, Harry," Ginny told him overly kindly, "I consider it payment enough that I don't have to sleep in the next room over anymore."

"Thanks so much," Harry sarcastically replied.

"No prob, babe," Ginny returned.

"You know," Ron began conversationally, "You're so lucky mum and dad wandered off to do the dishes back when Ginny was still talking about shopping."

"I suppose you're right," Harry said, "Though I did want to include them in this announcement I've got to make."

"Uh oh," said Ron.

"This isn't like the time you announced your intention to run away and join the circus?" asked Hermione.

"Or like when Ginny announced that she had once been a yellow turtle named Whinny?" asked Ron.

"Or like the time you announced, that according to your calculations, the world was neither flat nor round, but actually triangular?" asked Ginny.

"You know what I'm going to announce already," Harry pointed out.

"Oh," said Ginny, "So this is like the time you announced what you planned to do with the rest of your life."

"Ginny, I've never done that before," Harry informed her.

"Right, but it is like that time, then?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose it would be like that time, if that time had happened," Harry admitted.

"Can you prove that it didn't?" asked Ginny patiently.

"Well… it didn't happen because I don't remember it happening," Harry declared.

"Do you remember Bill being born?" asked Ginny reasonably.

"Well," Harry began, "No, I don't."

"But you admit that it must have happened, because here he is, right?" Ginny continued.

"Well, yeah," Harry admitted, not sure how he liked being out non-sensed for a change.

"But that logic isn't universal," protested Hermione, "And it isn't even flawless in this case!"

"So," Ginny began, promptly turning to Charlie, "So how do you like being the eldest in the family?"

Hermione may have argued, but Harry got to his feet at that moment and dusted himself off. "So, I guess what all this means is I don't need to bother telling anyone my news," Harry said serenely, "Seeing as I've already announced this before."

"I guess so," Ginny replied, readjusting her position on the chair to compensate for the fact that Harry was no longer sprawled on the grass at her feet.

"Then I suppose I'd best be going. I've got to meet with my new boss this afternoon, and get settled into my new place. See you all," Harry said cheerfully, before bending down to Ginny and kissing her on the cheek. "Good luck, tomorrow, Babe."

"Back at you, babe," Ginny replied as Harry lifted a hand to the others and departed.

"He's not actually gone, is he?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"Isn't he going to make his announcement?" asked Remus, very startled by Harry's abrupt exit.

"Didn't I just prove he's already made it?" frowned Ginny, stretching lazily.

"Okay, while I admire your dedication to a joke," Fred began, and, for once, continued, "You may be taking this a bit far."

"Yeah, Ginny, call him back," George instructed, "Us uninitiated ones want to know what our dear hero plans to do with his life."

"Oh, but he's probably there already," Ginny argued, languidly getting to her feet, "And I'm off to pack. I've got school tomorrow, you know."

"Ginerva, call him back or I'll do it myself," Hermione threatened, "And if you force me to go through the hassle of location him, calling him and convincing him to give up his stupid joke, then I shall have to dig out some black mail of my own."

"You haven't got anything on me," protested Ginny with a frown, "Have you?"

"Just on thing," Hermione said, "And it's so big I'd rather not have to use it."

"What?" asked Ginny, mind racing. This was a whole different ball game then with Harry. He would trot out half truths to tease he, and tell mildly embarrassing stories, but Ginny deeply believed he would always keep the secrets that really mattered. Hermione, however, was nearly six months pregnant and looking very harassed. Ginny's first instinct was not to tempt fate, but she might try it if Hermione didn't really seem to have anything or if Ginny thought she could make a clean escape of it.

"Remember that thing I helped you with at Christmas?" Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

Ginny paled. Last Christmas her friend had helped her brew a pregnancy test potion which had been, quite luckily, negative. Still, she did not want to go there in front of her brothers, and with her parents strolling in the garden nearby.

"I think I may hate you," Ginny said as she fished a small mirror out of her pocket. "Babe!" she wailed into it, "My sister-in-law is being mean to me! Come make her stop!"

"Poor baby," Harry said sarcastically, "What's she doing?"

"She's forcing me to call you away from your urgent affairs to rush back here," Ginny pouted.

"How is she doing that?" he asked, popping into existence at Ginny's elbow.

"She's threatening to tell everyone about last Christmas!" Ginny said with an accusing glare.

"Which part?" asked Harry with a frown.

"The scary part," Ginny elucidated.

Harry paled. "Low blow, Hermione," he said quietly, "It would serve you right if I left right now, without telling you about my great new job teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."

"Babe," Ginny said, as though people weren't stunned by Harry's 'accidental' announcement. "She really wouldn't have told them about that. She's one of my best friends, and essentially a good person. She's just horrible at our game."

"You're joking," Ron said faintly, as he recovered from the silence.

"Sorry, brother dear, but your wife is horrible at it," Ginny said, "If she were better, she would be able to hold things over other people that had never actually happened, like Harry and I do."

"Yeah, like when I threaten to tell you lot what happened that night with Ginny and the whole French Quidditch team," Harry demonstrated.

"Well, its actually nice to hear that you are lying through your teeth about some things," Ron admitted, "But what I meant was Harry joking about getting the Defence job."

"Well, of course that was a joke," Harry said, eyeing Ron oddly.

"I don't see how it was so funny," objected Tonks.

"Well, you see, while threatening to withhold information from Hermione, I gave her the very info I was threatening to withhold," Harry explained slowly.

No one laughed.

"Well, I thought it was funny," Harry said huffily, "Didn't you?"

"You've told better jokes, babe," Ginny said with a shrug, "Remember when you had that whole roomful of goblins in stitches over your Japanese golfer joke?"

"So, perhaps I've lost my comedic touch," Harry said with a frown.

"Maybe we should test it out," Ginny suggested, "Try to make me laugh."

Harry and Ginny quickly shifted until they were facing each other squarely. "Blue marmalade," Harry said.

"Are you sure that now is the proper time for that?" Ginny asked.

"It's always the proper time for that," Harry retorted, "I'm only worried that it's not the proper place."

"Then try again," Ginny encouraged.

Harry commenced in telling a long and confusing joke that caused the twins, Ron, and oddly enough, Hermione to fall to the ground, shrieking with mirth. Ginny was unmoved.

Harry tried another joke and pulled several faces, managing to make everyone laugh- except Ginny. Finally he sighed, "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this." Both Harry and Ginny looked very serious, as the former began to speak. "I once knew a man by the name of Jones," Ginny began to look as though she were biting back a smile. "He was a very nice man who worked very hard at his job as a clerk." Ginny chewed on her lip. "Then one day Jones met a woman named Judy." Ginny turned red with the effort of remaining serious. "Jones and Judy-"

Before Harry even completed the sentence, Ginny was on the ground, howling her laughter. Long moments passed before she was in control again.

"Do you ever feel they're speaking in a code you don't know?" asked a bewildered Charlie.

"The best time to pick eggplants is when the sky is full of green marshmallows," Ginny said without missing a beat.

"The friendly teddy bear advises exuberance," replied Harry promptly.

"Exuberance is all well and good, but what says the bear of experience?" Ginny questioned.

Before Harry could say anything, Hermione leaned across her husband and clamped one hand over her best friend's mouth. "Please, Harry, just for one minute, pretend you're still the normal boy I used to know," she begged, "Pretend you never met Ginny Weasley-"

"Hey!" protested Ginny.

"And just answer me this one question reasonably. Were you asked to teach Defence at Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful!" she squealed, "Are you excited?"

"Yes," Harry said slowly, precisely, monosyllabically.

Everyone chattered happily for a few minutes until Harry sighed loudly. "Are we done with this game yet? My life before Ginny was apparently very boring, and I'm sick of pretending not to know her."

Harry soon left the group again, because it was getting on towards suppertime and he really did need to get to Hogwarts to ready for the arrival of the student body the next day and the start of classes the day after that. The rest of the group shifted to the field that the Weasley children had long ago designated as their Quidditch pitch. The Weasley parents remained apart, looking intent in some private discussion as they sat on a bench near the house.

All the rest, save Hermione, dug out their brooms and took to the air. There was, however, an odd number of players (Bill, Charlie, Ron, the twins, Ginny, Tonks, Remus and even Percy consenting to take part), which meant that Hermione always had company on the ground while one player took a turn sitting out. Hermione cheered equally for both teams for most of the game, though she never did quite know the score or who was on which side.

But, as Tonks came to take her turn to sit out, Hermione wasn't even watching the game at all, instead staring blankly into space, frowning slightly.

"What's wrong?" asked the blue haired witch after a moment of that.

"Oh, I was just wondering," Hermione said, "Why Harry knew about Ginny's Christmas secret…"

"Is it really that shocking?" asked Tonks, "They seem to tell each other everything."

"You don't understand," Hermione countered, "This isn't the sort of thing you tell anyone."

"Well, I can't really comment on that," the elder allowed, "But judging from things that Petunia Dursley said, I wouldn't be surprised to find they've exchanged all their deepest secrets."

"No, no, not this," Hermione insisted stubbornly, frowning again, "I mean, would you tell your ex-boyfriend that you thought you might be pregnant with the child of your rebound boyfriend?"

"What?" gasped Tonks, both girls looking utterly stunned by Hermione's slip, "Ginny thought she was… but she would have been only sixteen… oh, wow."

"Oh, Tonks, I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said anything," fretted Hermione anxiously, "I never told anyone, not even Ron!"

"Well, don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Tonks reassured the younger girl, "In fact, I'll try to forget that I ever knew myself."

"What if you slip up?" asked Hermione as she gnawed on her lip nervously.

"I won't," Tonks said firmly, "I've heard a thing or two that I've kept entirely to myself."

In fact, I've heard enough that I probably wasn't supposed to that I've likely got the clearest picture of what's happening with Harry and Ginny, thought Tonks.

"Darling, it's your turn!" Remus called, bounding up to the pair and taking Tonks' place as she leapt up to join the others in the air. "Hermione, you're pale! Is something wrong?"

"No," replied the witch thoughtfully, wondering if Tonks' secrets had anything to do with what she had hinted about hearing from Harry's aunt.

Settling into Hogwarts wasn't actually that hard to do, given that Harry had a day and a half to do it in, and that he had only to tweak DA lesson plans to fit the purposes of formal teaching. In fact, Harry even managed to find time for a meagre attempt at decorating his new quarters and office adjoining his classroom. He stocked the office shelves with some books of defence pilfered from the Room of Requirement, as well as the set he had received from Remus and Sirius several Christmases ago, and his school texts as well. As the shelves still looked sadly bare, Harry pulled out photos that Ginny had framed and hung the previous year in their room. Harry carefully arranged the photos on some of the shelves and looked about.

He pulled from the dark recesses of his battered school trunk his old sneakascope, the model Hungarian horntail and even the golden egg from the Triwizard tournament. He added these to the display with a shrug. Harry rummaged some more and came up with his omnoculars, which he hung from a hook by the fire place.

Harry didn't bother to dig anymore after he added a few mementos from his recent travels to the desktop and shelves. Harry knew that there wasn't likely to be anything else to hang or display.

He tucked the mirror and a few of his favourite 'couple' pictures of himself and Ginny in a small drawer that he promptly sealed shut magically. Than Harry decided he was done with the office and moved into his bedroom.

This room was even more sparsely done up. Harry set his family photo album on the bedside table, put his clothes away and was done.

Harry tacked some of the old DA diagrams Hermione had created to his classroom walls, as well as the carefully filched list with the original DA members listed on it. Harry also reproduced some of the images of dangerous magical creatures from his books and stuck them up. He arranged the papers that the new temporary Headmistress, Professor Runesly had passed on to him from Professor Brookeson. Most detailed the progress of the previous years students, as well as her planned outline for the coming year. The attendance lists for his classes were sat atop the other papers, next to a bottle of ink and a handful of quills.

All in all, Harry was satisfied that he was ready for the students by noon the day they were to arrive, and thus found himself with some time to kill. Harry decided to take a trip to Ron and Hermione's house in Hogsmeade, partially to apologise for some of his over dramatics the previous afternoon.

The house, which was the back and upper portion of the joke shop, was small, but comfortable. There was a master bedroom, a nursery and a guest room besides the kitchen and small living room. Hermione had decorated the rooms carefully and tastefully, creating an extremely welcoming home for herself, Ron and their unborn child.

The couple was very excited about the baby, now that they had a clear plan for their future, and were constantly talking about names. The prospect of his friends having the complete responsibility for a tiny human life still rather overwhelmed Harry, but he had to admit, their excitement was a bit contagious. Whenever Harry was around Ron and Hermione, he found himself impatiently looking forward to the end of December, when the baby was likely to arrive.

Harry grinned at the thought of spending an afternoon in the pleasant company of his best friends even as he stepped up to their door. Hermione opened the door a moment after he knocked and welcomed him in was a surprised exclamation.

"What are you doing here?" she squealed, "I thought you'd be busy up at the castle!"

"I'm all set for the evening, but I thought I'd drop by to see the pair of you, while I had the chance," Harry replied.

"I'm so glad you're going to be living so close," Hermione told him as she lead Harry into the back of the shop where Ron was sorting through a new shipment of joke items from the twins. "I'm sure we'll see more of you than if you were still living at the Burrow or had gotten an apartment in the city or something."

"I don't know," Harry said, "I'll probably be fairly busy through the school year, wouldn't you think?"

"I hope you'll stop being too busy for us, now that you and Ginny won't be living in each other's pockets," Hermione teased.

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "I almost didn't recognise you without my sister hanging about, mate."

"Er, yeah, well…" Harry said intelligently, willing himself not to blush, "We have a lot in common."

"Yeah, you're both completely bonkers," said the redhead with a smile.

Harry and Hermione chuckled and the three settled in for a couple of hours of talking. It was nice, Harry reflected as he walked leisurely back up to the castle two hours later, to hang out with completely normal people, though he wouldn't generally give up his zany conversations with Ginny for all the tea in China.

Harry supposed it was good that he, Ron and Hermione were regaining some of their former closeness, considering he and Ginny would probably have to back off while he was her teacher. It would be fun to spend a few evenings with his oldest friends…

Harry grinned again, already deliriously happy about the newest turns in his life before they had even really sunk in.


	43. Chapter 43: Firsts

Once, Ginny Weasley would have said that she couldn't wait for the day that she would finally get to hop on the Hogwarts Expre

**Chapter Forty-three**

**Firsts**

Ginny Weasley stood alone on the platform for the moment, waiting to board the Hogwarts Express and begin her last year of school. Strangely enough, this last year seemed to be already more full of firsts than lasts.

This was the first time Ginny would be going to school with completely new things, thanks to the shopping spree that Harry had insisted on in Paris. This was the first time that the Weasley brothers had come to see her off, and not the other way around. This was the first time that the Weasleys had arrived in plenty of time to catch the train, owning mainly to the fact that she was the only one with a trunk and set of things to worry about. This was the first time that Ginny would be the one in charge, since the new temporary headmistress had suggested that the other Head Girl and the Head Boys should defer to the Girl with 'experience'. This was the first time that Harry and Ginny would actually have to pretend that they meant nothing to each other, that they weren't even really good friends. And this was the first time that Ginny would be the only Weasley in the school, now that all her brothers had moved on.

It was the last first that had Ginny standing frozen before the scarlet steam engine, trying desperately to recognize someone in the swirling masses of humanity around her. All of the students hauling trunks and calling out goodbyes seemed very, very young and unfamiliar to Ginny, who suddenly realized the implications of really only hanging out with older students in the previous year and a half. It wasn't that Ginny hadn't ever seen her friends that were her age; it was just that most non-class related time had been dedicated to Harry last year. She had never been close to the girls in her dorm, but Ginny had been very good friends with Colin Creevey in previous years, and she now realized that she had hardly even seen him outside classes in the last term. The same went for Luna, Ginny remembered guiltily. Poor Luna didn't really have any friends beyond Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville and Ginny, and with one thing and another last year, at least four of them hadn't spent much time with her at all.

Well, Ginny could make up for that now, and she would. She would be the best friend Luna had ever had, if the other girl still wanted to be friends with her, after being unceremoniously dumped the previous year.

"Ginny," greeted a floating voice at the redhead's side, "Aren't you getting on the train?" 

Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin, amazed by the blonde's ability to sneak up on her totally unannounced, just when Ginny was thinking of her. "Hey, Luna!" she greeted her, "You startled me!" 

"Oh, I didn't mean to," apologized the other girl. "I just thought I'd come over and see if you were going to be getting on the train, because you've been standing there a very long time."

"I was just thinking," Ginny explained with a smile, "About all the changes that have come about recently." 

"I thought you might be getting lonely, like me," Luna confessed, "I thought maybe we could keep each other company." 

"I'd love to Luna," Ginny beamed, "Because that's actually one of the changes I was thinking about. You know, with Ron, Harry and Hermione being gone this year..." 

"Yes, I suppose that you will miss them more than most, since you spent the whole of last year with them," Luna said with a sad nod, "Just like I'll be missing Neville." 

The last statement surprised Ginny a bit. While she had always considered both Neville and Luna her friends, Ginny had never thought of the pair as being friends themselves. Now Ginny was feeling a bit foolish for thinking Luna had been lost last year without Ginny and the others. 

"Have you seen Neville lately?" asked Ginny, "We went on a bit of a trip this summer and I got something for him in Italy. I was hoping to give it to him in person, but we just got back yesterday and haven't had the chance to track him down." 

"He's still abroad himself," Luna replied, "He finally convinced his Gran that a bit of travel would do them both some good, now that it's safe again. He's been sending me sketches of exotic plants with his letters. I made him promise to be on the look out for strange creatures as well as flowers."

"Has he had much luck with that?" asked Ginny politely, wondering what practical Neville had made of Luna's request.

"No, I'm afraid not," Luna said gravely, "Though he is trying, I'm sure. He seems to think he may have seen something big and yellow disappear into the brush, though he wasn't quite sure what it was. I suspect it may have been a bitterby fluther, though usually they're much friendlier than Neville described this one."

"I see," Ginny said placidly, aware that she had missed Luna's peculiar personality. Even when Harry was at his silliest, he was just no match for Luna's steadfast belief in the things she said. "Listen, Luna, why don't we go put our things on the train?"

"Alright," agreed the other girl, "I can show you some of Neville's sketches then, if you'd like."

"Sure," Ginny agreed, "And I've got something for you that I brought back from this neat little jewellery shop in Rome."

"Really? That was nice of you," Luna replied as she trailed her friend onto the train.

"Oh, Luna!" Ginny exclaimed a moment later, "I just remembered, I won't be able to sit with you. I'm supposed to stay up front in case any of the prefects need me later on."

"That's not a problem," Luna said, "I'm supposed to sit up front as well."

"You haven't been made a prefect, have you?" asked Ginny in confusion.

"No," the blonde said with a shake of her head, "But I am the other Head Girl."

"You are?" asked Ginny, "That's wonderful! I'm so glad it's you, Luna!"

And Ginny really was glad, if a bit surprised that Luna had been selected to take over from Hermione. Ever since their new Headmistress had explained via letter that there would be one head student per house, Ginny had been worrying about who she was going to split her duties with in the coming year, particularly in regards to the Ravenclaw student. She expected to get along alright with whoever the Hufflepuff head was, and she had completely written off the possibility of more than tolerating whatever Slytherin she was stuck with, but it was the third that worried her. Ginny most definitely did not want to be stuck with Michael Corner, who besides being her ex, simply wasn't a great person to hang out with. Still, now that she knew that she would have Luna to be friends with, Ginny felt she could deal with whoever else she got stuck with.

At that moment, Ginny and Luna reached the front of the train to find a boy their age already there. Ginny looked at him with a slight frown, trying to place him. She thought she could remember him from one or two of her classes, but she couldn't come up with a name.

"Hello," she said tentatively, wondering how you asked someone what his name was when you had already had seven years to find out.

"Hi," said the boy with a shy smile. "You're Head Girl again this year?"

Clearly he knew who Ginny was, she realised with a guilty squirm of her insides. "Yeah, lucky me," Ginny said, "I get to loose two years worth of sleep patrolling corridors late at night."

"I don't think I'll mind patrolling," Luna said thoughtfully, "I like the castle late at night, when there's no one about."

"So you're the Ravenclaw Head?" asked the unidentified boy.

"Yes," Luna replied, "And you're from Slytherin, aren't you?"

"Er, yeah," said the boy, "I'm Adam Sanders."

"I already knew what your name was," Luna said conversationally.

"Well, anyway," Ginny intruded, glad to have been spared the task of finding out the boy's name on her own, "Do either of you know who the Hufflepuff Head Boy is?"

"That would be me," said Terry, who Ginny knew a bit, as he walked through the doorway to join the rest of the group.

The rest of the train ride was spent comfortably enough, especially after Ginny and the others had set the Prefects to patrolling the train, so that the older students could work out the schedule for the coming school year.

As they worked, Ginny got to know Adam and Terry better, and was decidedly glad that the two boys were so nice. With a smile, Ginny mentally added another first to the day's growing list; she had met the first Slytherin that she had ever liked.

At the feast, Ginny was struck by the lack of her older friends presence when she briefly couldn't figure out where to sit at the Gryffindor table. Soon enough, Colin waved her over and she went with a grateful smile. She was just sitting down when the new Headmistress stood up. She was a plain looking woman, with a harsh mouth, but Ginny supposed that she would do as a temporary replacement while Professor McGonagall recovered from her part in the war.

"Greetings, students!" she called out, silencing the Hall, "I am Professor Straff. I have agreed to take on the position of Headmistress at this school for one year. My hope is that the coming months will prove a happy and successful time for all of us, so that we may move beyond the pain of recent events and losses. But, do not be mistaken, there will be no allowances made for troublemakers or those who do not wish to obey the rules. The best way to put the war behind us is through order and routine. Now, before we eat, I would like to take a moment to introduce a new member of the faculty, your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor- where on earth is he?"

There was a confused murmur as Professor Straff finished speaking. Everyone in the Great Hall was looking about as if the missing Professor was likely to leap up from one of the tables and yell 'surprise'! Ginny, the only student who knew the identity of the teacher in question, smiled to herself. Harry was probably planning some sort of dramatic entrance.

A moment later she was proved right when he suddenly appeared in front of the staff table. It took a moment for his arrival to register with the students, but when it did, everyone fell silent. All eyes were on Harry. "What's everyone looking for?" he asked with a sort of benign curiosity.

"You, as a matter of fact," replied a mildly displeased Professor Straff.

"Oh," Harry said before sighing theatrically, "I guess that's what happens when you're the new face among familiar ones. You can't even be late to dinner without gaining attention."

That got a laugh from the students, and most of the teachers. Harry smiled and sat down in the empty place that had been left for him next to Hagrid. The headmistress did not attempt to restart her speech, but simply gave the signal for the feast to begin. Ginny tried very hard over the course of the meal not to spend too much of her time starring up at the staff table, but she was the only one who bothered. For the most part, all eyes were on Harry, the newest in a long string of DADA professors, and their own celebrity.

Even as Ginny was helping to herd the students towards their common rooms after they were done eating, she was still hearing whispers about her boyfriend. As Ginny listened to the students around her, she ran her left thumb over her ring, reminding herself that soon enough everyone would know that Harry was hers and she'd never again be forced to pretend it didn't bother her to have the entire female population of any given location ogling her guy.

Ginny was indulging in planning their wedding when she arrived in her common room. Once inside, she found that the others had already arrived and were standing a bit uncertainly in the middle of the common area that separated the two sets of stairs. "Wait are you three waiting for?" she asked, "Have you divvied up the rooms yet?"

"Not yet," Terry admitted, "Adam was just saying that you might want your room from last year, but none of us knew which that was, so we just thought we'd … wait for you."

"Oh," said Ginny, contemplating the virtually unused room that had technically been hers last year, trying to remember if anyone could possibly know if she snagged Harry's old room for her own this year. "If you don't mind, I'll have that one there," Ginny said, pointing to the room where she had slept with Harry all of the previous term. "Harry and I were on that side last year, Ron and Hermione over there."

"Oh, I figured that the separate stair cases were meant to separate guys from girls," Terry suggested.

"Harry and I thought so to, but neither of us wanted to interrupt Ron and Hermione's snogging to point it out to them," Ginny said with a fond smile.

"How are Ronald and Hermione?" asked Luna, who had apparently just tuned in to the conversation.

"Oh, they're doing well enough," Ginny said, wondering if anyone knew that they were married and expecting a baby in December. "They live in the village now, running one of the twins' shops."

"That's nice," Luna said, "I always thought Hermione had the look of a shopkeeper about her."

Ginny just smiled a little, not sure whether Luna was insulting or complimenting Ginny's sister-in-law.

"Well, maybe Luna should take the other room on that side," Terry suggested, "Just so we start off on the right foot, following the rules."

"That's fine with me," Ginny said, "I don't mind following the rules."

"Really?" asked Adam, speaking up for the first time since Ginny had been in the room, "You never really struck me as a by-the-book sort of person."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ginny.

"Well, you were always running around with Potter and his lot," Adam explained, "And you never really seemed to care if you broke rules when you run away from school last year or when you were disobeying Umbridge in fourth year."

"Say, you were always really good friends with Harry, weren't you?" Terry asked, "Won't it be weird with him teaching you?"

"Not at all," Ginny responded, choosing not to delve deeper into Adam's comments, "Harry's always teaching me things. He tutored me in DADA all last year, which is why my marks in that class were so stellar, and part of the reason I'm here with you all now."

"I think perhaps I shall go to bed now," Luna said, "I don't want to be too tired for class tomorrow. I'd hate to get behind on the first day."

And with that, the little party broke up and headed off to catch some rest. Ginny was tired, and more than ready for sleep, but even an hour later, it was evading her. As Ginny tossed and turned, she had to admit to herself that her day full of firsts was now ending a bit sourly with another. This was the first time that Ginny had ever had to sleep in their bed at Hogwarts without Harry while both were in the castle.

Ginny only slept for a few hours that first night, but she made it through her first day's classes all right. It was nice to spend time with Luna and Colin again, and she was really enjoying getting to know Adam and Terry better. But that first day brought another annoying first.

Between first and second classes, Ginny spotted Harry for the first time that day, and smiled unconsciously until a moment later, the enjoyment was sucked from the event by the year's first encounter with Harmony and company. Ginny scowled a bit as the group stood a few feet off, tracking Harry's movements down the hall. It seemed that Harry becoming a teacher hadn't done anything about ending Harmony's obsession with him, and Ginny knew that she was in even less of a position to do anything about it this year than she had been last.

Ginny walked past the girls and resolutely put them from her mind, instead putting her mind into guessing what her next class (Potions) would bring.

Several more times that first week Ginny was forced to employ the same tactic with growing annoyance. With so many people around, it was impossible for her to steal even a moment's time alone with Harry, and it now seemed as though Harmony was always around, even when no one else was. So, it was with mixed emotions that Ginny approached her first class with Harry.

On one hand, she was looking forward to any excuse for seeing him, and yet, she didn't think she could stand to watch Harmony simpering over him for the whole duration of the class.

With the hope of snatching a few private moments with Harry, Ginny went early to her first DADA class of the year. Luna, Colin, Adam and a few others had the same thought, apparently, as far as arriving early went, but it did none of them any good. Harry was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he remained conspicuously absent even after the bell rang, which caused loud whisperings and then outright chatter between the students for a good five minutes before he suddenly appeared, seated on the edge of his desk.

When the seventh years noticed their teacher, shocked silence fell.

"Hello," he said cheerfully. "Sorry I'm late, it's becoming quite a habit of mine, unfortunately."

No one said anything, though Ginny had to bite her lip to keep from snickering. Harry's eyes met hers briefly, dancing with good humour, before he went on. "Now, I suppose its time I took attendance, isn't it?" he asked, grabbing one of the papers from the desk behind him. As he checked off each name, Harry had a smile or a comment for almost everyone, so roll call took a bit longer than usual. When he was finished, he set down the sheet and faced his class with a serious look. "Alright, now that we know everyone is here, let's get to business. I've taught all but a very few of you personally before," Harry began, looking briefly at Michelle Stonely and Adam, the only two Slytherins in the class, who hadn't been part of the DA, "And I know you all participated in the extra Defence classes I ran with Ginny, Ron and Hermione Weasley last year. This class will run along the same lines, with practical application of spells and counter-curses taking precedence. That's where we'll start, with a bit of brush-up so that I can make sure none of you got rusty over the summer. So, everyone, pair up and practice everything you can think of for ten minutes then we'll reconvene."

The class progressed well, and enjoyably, so Ginny was startled when the bell rang, calling them to a halt. She hadn't been aware of the passing time as they held a series of mini mock battles, to prove to Harry that they were all still well versed in DADA. The rest of the class seemed to feel the same as they hurried to pack up their things and get to supper. As the class began to file out, Harry called out, "I need a volunteer to help put the room back in order, please! Thank you, Ms Weasley."

So Ginny, trying not to beam with the prospect of having a moment alone with Harry after a crazy week, helped him to shift their desks back from the corner they had been banished to in order to accommodate the duels. When they were done, Harry turned to Ginny and asked, "So?"

"You're really an amazing teacher, babe," Ginny praised him, "That was a really good first class."

"Thanks," Harry said with a smile, "I was sort of nervous for your class. I mean, their only a year younger than me. Who am I to think I can command enough respect to teach them?"

"You, darling, are the bloody Saviour of their entire world," Ginny reminded him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "Besides, you act like you've already got their respect, so they don't think twice about giving it to you. You're actually very good at slipping into whatever role is needed."

"Thank you, again," Harry said, kissing Ginny's forehead lightly, before grinning wickedly. "Now, do you want to see my office?"

"I don't know if I should, Professor. Wouldn't it seem awfully improper for a schoolgirl like myself to spend too much time behind closed doors with a person such as yourself?" asked Ginny with wide, teasing eyes.

"Don't you trust my pure intentions?" asked Harry, effecting a hurt expression.

" Babe, considering all the things we've done together in the last year and a bit, I doubt I'll ever think of you as 'pure' again," Ginny told him.

Harry sighed, "Well, there goes any chance I had of luring the pretty Head Girl up to my office to do wicked, wicked things to her body."

"Hey, wait a minute, you didn't mention doing wicked, wicked things to me before! I have no objection to that sort of thing. I happen to know you do wicked very well, Professor Potter," Ginny said with a sly grin.

"In that case, let's go up to my office right now," Harry said, "Before any pesky things like scruples or morals occur to you, my dear, promiscuous darling."

Ginny giggled a bit as Harry lead her by the hand to the door that connected his classroom to his office. She sobered swiftly, however, as they entered the more private room and he closed the door. Ginny spun Harry to face her, and pulled his head down to hers, backing herself into the door. Harry smiled against Ginny's mouth at her impatience, before loosing himself in a fog of frantic touching and desire that had been put-off a week.

Moments later, when Ginny began giggling helplessly, Harry was very surprised indeed, and a bit offended, in truth. "What's so funny, Gin?" he asked.

"Oh, it's nothing… it's just…" Ginny tried to explain, but could only make a vague, helpless gesture when her words subsided into laughter again. Harry stood in front of her, feeling puzzled and a bit stupid for another long minute before she got herself back under control. "I'm sorry, Harry, it's just, we were kissing, and suddenly I realised that I was kissing one of my teachers! And then I started to wonder if other teachers kissed like you do, and I got this mental picture of McGonagall bending over to sn-snog Flitwick!" Ginny started to giggle again, "Can't you just see it? McGonagall bent in two, Flitwick standing on a stack of books!"

"Babe, in the week since I last talked to you, you've gone extremely silly," Harry told her, "Do I have to invoke our special codeword so that you'll stop thinking about other people and concentrate on what really matters?"

"Of course," Ginny said, feigning a contrite look. "Won't happen again, I swear."

"Good," Harry said, leaning in but just barely touching her lips before they trembled and a laugh gushed forth. Harry sighed. "McGonagall and Flitwick again."

"No, sorry," Ginny replied, "I was just getting a bit giddy over the fact that I'm kissing a teacher. I've never done that before, you know." 

"I know, babe," Harry said, his grin turning a bit wolfish, "And, as always, I'm happy to be your first."

When Harry kissed her that time, Ginny didn't giggle, nor did she in the hour that followed before they rejoined the rest of the school, and, having traded in their hunger for each other for the craving of sustenance, went down in search of some supper.


	44. Chapter 44: Slipping Secrets

**Chapter Forty-Four**

**Slipping Secret**

After the first week of classes, the days seemed to melt into each other until they were all passing Ginny by in a blurring swirl of teachers, friends, stolen kisses and duties. It seemed to her that one night she was falling into bed at the end of September and the next morning she awoke to the realization that Christmas break was to start in a matter of two days.

That particular chilly morning, Ginny sat up instantly and reached for the mirror that magically connected to Harry's. "Darling," she called, "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," he replied, "Though I'm a bit surprised that you are. Not going to sleep in until the last possible moment today?"

"Nah, I figured if I got up early enough I might catch you alone," Ginny said with a teasing grin.

The second she had said it, Harry shifted himself from his room and into her bed. Ginny laughed. "Clearly those are the magic words," she told him.

"It doesn't exactly take magic to convince me to go to bed with you, babe," Harry said to Ginny somberly.

"Well, since you came all the way here, we might as well take advantage of the situation," Ginny said, throwing the covers off herself and kissing Harry on the lips. He grinned and tilted his head to gain access to Ginny's slender neck. She paused a moment to enjoy the sensation before sitting back to pull off the t-shirt she had worn to bed the previous night. That done, Ginny leaned over and slowly slid Harry's boxers down his hips, pausing now and then to kiss the flesh that she was revealing.

Just as she was finishing with that, Harry grabbed her by the wrists and propelled her naked body along his to bring her mouth back up to his. As they kissed, Harry rolled so that he was on top of Ginny and broke the kiss to gaze down at her.

"Is it possible that you're even more gorgeous then the last time we made love?" he asked, sounding slightly awed.

"Probably not," Ginny replied, kissing him again, "But it's fine with me if you want to think that."

A half hour later, just as Harry was starting to think that it was time he got back to his room so that he could shower before breakfast, Ginny turned in his arms to look up at him.

"So, are we going to do anything for Christmas break?" she asked, "It's in two days, you know."

"I don't see how we could get away," Harry replied a bit sadly, "Remus and Tonks and some of the guests are staying at Grimmauld Place with us right up until the wedding, and after that, Ron and Hermione's baby is due, so we'll need to be on hand for that. There really won't be much of a chance for us to escape inconspicuously."

"I suppose I knew that would be the case," sighed Ginny, "I was just sort of hoping…"

"Me too," Harry replied, planting a kiss on her forehead, "But we can always stay in the rooms right next to each other in Grimmauld Place, like the summer before last. Your parents are staying right from the start so that your mum can help Tonks with the last minute plans."

"I guess that's something," Ginny agreed, "But I doubt we'll be the only ones on that floor again. Not with so many people coming for the wedding."

"I'm beginning to regret that I told Tonks she could use the house," Harry said with a teasing smile, "I didn't realize it would interfere with my fiancé's plots to get me in bed."

Ginny rolled her eyes. She knew that Harry didn't really regret offering the use of his house, especially since the wedding location was just two blocks from Grimmauld Place. It just made sense to have somewhere close by to stage operations from. "I thought you said you were easy to get into bed?" asked Ginny, raising an eyebrow.

"I am," Harry replied, "But easy come, easy go, you know. I've got to go shower before breakfast."

Ginny sighed regretfully as Harry got out of bed and pulled on his boxers. He rummaged in the back of her closet to pull out one of the robes he had stashed there, and with a couple minor spells, banished the wrinkles. He tossed on the garment, careful to make do up all the buttons to disguise the fact that he wore nothing underneath them. "Hey, do you have that book on dangerous underwater creatures I leant you? I need it for my first class."

"Yeah, it's just down in the common room. Want me to grab it?" asked Ginny, throwing on one of Harry's old t-shirts.

"No, I can just go out that way. None of your roommates will be awake yet.," Harry said, waving his hand casually. "Walk me out?"

"Sure," Ginny replied, lacing her hand through Harry's as she slid out the door first. She spent a moment glancing about in case someone was up. Seeing no one, Ginny lead Harry by the hand to retrieve the book from the low table by the fire. When they reached the common room door, Ginny looked about again and pulled Harry into her arms. "You know, this sneaking around thing is sort of … sexy," she said in a low whisper.

"In a dangerous way, I suppose it is," Harry replied, leaning down to kiss Ginny.

"Anyone could walk in on us at any moment," she murmured, sliding her hands down the buttoned front of his robes.

With great effort, Harry gently stopped her from undoing his garment. "Yeah, and what would happen then?"

"I suppose you'd loose your job and I'd be suspended," sighed Ginny. Then she started pouting with a teasing gleam in her eye, "Wouldn't I be worth it, though?"

"If anyone would be, it'd be you, babe," Harry replied. "But I really do have to shower and get down to breakfast."

"See you in class, I suppose," Ginny replied. "But just remember I'll be thinking about what's under your robes the entire time."

"You'd better try thinking about Defense instead," Harry responded, "I wouldn't want to have to fail someone I'm sleeping with. That'd feel too much like bad manners."

Ginny chuckled a little before shoving him out the door. "I hope you get caught sneaking out of the Head dorms one day!"

"Yeah, well, I hope you get caught sneaking out of a teacher's room!" Harry retorted.

"Keep saying things like that and I'm going to start wondering about your real feelings for me," teased Ginny.

"I just want you for your body, you should know that by now," Harry called out as Ginny closed the door. She was smiling as she turned around and suddenly came face-to-face with one of her roommates.

"Adam!" exclaimed Ginny, her face paling. "I didn't see you."

"Obviously," he drawled, a strange look on his face as he came down the boy's staircase to stand right in front of Ginny. Her mind raced. Was there a chance that he had only seen that she was sneaking someone out? Or had he recognized Harry?

"We were just…" Ginny began, but didn't finish the thought.

"I saw what you were 'just' doing," Adam commented, and intense look in his dark eyes. "You're playing a dangerous game, Gin."

"It's no game!" she blazed, "Love isn't a game!"

"Love, is it?" Adam asked skeptically.

"Yeah, love," Ginny told him, impatient with his doubt. She made to walk away, but Adam grabbed her by the wrist to stop her. She let him do it when she caught the expression changing on his face.

"Look, I don't want to argue with you," Adam told Ginny, his eyes softening, "But you're my friend, and it looks a hell of a lot like Professor Potter is taking advantage of you, and you don't even seem to realize it. I just don't want to see something bad happen to you."

Ginny had a hot retort on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back when Luna wondered out of her room and floated towards the stairs. A second after, Terry appeared on the other staircase and Ginny did pull away from Adam then. He let her and turned to leave the dorm as she hurried up to her room to dress. She'd have to catch Adam alone and convince him to forget what he had seen just now, or, at the very least, swear him to secrecy.

But by the time for DADA came the next day, Ginny still hadn't found the chance to talk to Adam, or to warn Harry about their witnessed indiscretion. She had had the early patrol and Adam the late last night, and Harry had been marking essays until after midnight. Ginny had gone to bed planning to talk to one or both before classes in the morning, but she had accidentally slept in, and barely made it to her first class. Now, as she contemplated spending the next period in a classroom containing both males she had been meaning to have a word with, Ginny couldn't help but wish she were somewhere else.

Unfortunately, she really didn't think she could cut class on the day before Christmas break without getting caught, particularly not when she was sleeping with the teacher. So Ginny trudged into class, reassuring herself that Adam was not the sort to do anything rash because of what he'd seen the previous morning. There was not the slightest chance that anything would come of her dorm mate realizing that she was involved with a guy who, while technically only a year older, was supposed to be a sort of authority figure.

Merlin, Ginny hoped that nothing would come of it.

Nonetheless, Ginny was on pins and needles for the entire class, glad that Adam seemed content to keep his silence at the back of the room and yet afraid that he would suddenly decide to call Harry out in front of the entire class. After the most nerve-wracking hour of her life, Ginny sent up a silent prayer of thanks when it ended, breathing slowly as she gathered her things.

She was glad to have survived that period, but she did not intend to endure anymore of this uncertainty. Ginny scanned the crowd of her peers that were heading to lunch from DADA, looking for Adam. He had apparently gotten ahead of the group, though. Ginny hurried through the halls and towards the Great Hall, where she hoped to find Adam and convince him to talk to her.

However, while Ginny was doing that, Adam was striding back into the DADA classroom, after having waited for the other students to shuffle out and away. Harry was the only one in the room when Adam re-entered, and the seventh-year quietly closed the door.

Harry looked up, "Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Sanders?" he asked with a smile.

Adam did not smile in reply. "I just wanted you to know I saw you carrying on with Ginny Weasley in the Head Student's dorm yesterday. She's my friend, you know, Professor Potter."

The smile melted off Harry's face as he looked at the stony eyed Slytherin before him. "Look, I don't know what you think you saw-"

"Don't bother to try that one on me. I know what I saw, Professor," Adam retorted, "I'm just saying that Ginny's my friend and I don't want anyone screwing things up for her. She's Head Girl and she works hard, but none of that would matter if it came out she was sleeping with a teacher. That could ruin her whole future!"

"That's not-"

But Adam didn't let Harry interrupt, "And what's even worse, if this got out, it probably wouldn't even touch you, big war-hero that you are. So if you care at all about my friend, then you'll stay away from her." And Adam turned and quietly slipped from the room, leaving behind one very shocked Professor.

That shock stayed with Harry, even as he was arriving at Grimmauld Place the next day. The absolute uproar of the house, however, was enough to knock it from his mind, at least temporarily.

Piles and piles of red and black rose themed decorations waited in the front hall to be transferred to the muggle reception hall later in the week, a large chart of what appeared to be seating arrangements was propped against the staircase, and occasionally several harassed looking people dashed by, all while Harry remained in the doorway, wondering what sort of emergency was taking place. He didn't manage to find out what was going on until Molly Weasley arrived on the scene and began to take matters in to her own hands a half-hour later.

She stopped one of the harried people (who turned out to be Tonks's mother, Andromeda) and told her to sort out the decorations and organize them for transport, she had Remus sit down with the frayed seating chart to sort it out, and she ordered Harry and Ginny to put on their wedding clothes for a rough fitting. In two hours, she had the wedding chaos in hand, and forty-five minutes after that, Molly Weasley had dinner for fifteen people on the table.

Harry marveled at her skills, and so did everyone else.

So it was that Harry didn't even think about Adam Sanders until he was in his bed that night. Even then, he had to wait an hour until he was sure everyone else was asleep before he could try to seek out Ginny, who was no longer in the room next to his, but on a whole different floor of the house. That was due to Mrs. Weasley's brilliant decision that they should leave the two uppermost floors of the house for guests who hadn't arrived yet. So that left Ron and Hermione, Molly and Arthur, and Annie and Ted Tonks occupying three of the bedrooms on the first floor, with Ginny and Tonks squished into the fourth. The second floor, and its four bedrooms were left to the others already at the house.

Bill and Fluer were in the room next to Harry's, and Percy and Charlie were across from them. Somehow Remus had managed to score a room to himself (admittedly, it was a very small one), which was directly across from the room that Harry was sharing with the twins. What this meant was that there were an impressive number of people underfoot even very late at night. In fact, after a few close encounters, Harry gave up trying to sneak all the way down to Ginny's room in hopes that Tonks would be asleep and the younger girl awake so that Harry could tell her about his discussion with Adam Sanders.

And the pattern continued in the run up to the wedding. The days were too full of planning to allow Harry and Ginny much chance to be alone and the nights were too full of people, particularly as more guests began to trickle into the upper floors of the house. Finally, when the pair was sent to change into their wedding outfits for a final fitting the day before the actual event, they found themselves with unexpectedly alone in the room they had been told to wait for Molly in. Not knowing how long they would have, Harry didn't waste time on pleasantries and instead dived right into their problem.

"Gin, on the last day of term Adam Sanders confronted me-" he began.

"Yeah, I know. I took care of it, though," she replied, glancing warily at the door through which her mother would enter at some unknown time in the near future.

"You did?" asked Harry, also looking to the door.

"I caught him alone on the train and explained things to him," she said, "He wasn't happy but he promised to keep quiet once I showed him my engagement ring."

That caught enough of Harry's attention that he looked at Ginny, "Why did that convince him?" he asked.

"Adam was worried that you were just messing around with me. I told him we had been dating for a while and that we've been engaged for ages, but he still didn't seem convinced that I wasn't deluding myself into thinking you were serious about me. I showed him the ring and he sort of reluctantly agreed to keep our secret."

"Why on earth does he think I'm just messing around with you? Doesn't he know you're too smart to let something like that happen to you?" asked Harry. Ginny caught his eyes then and grinned.

"Apparently he heard you're parting shot the other morning about only wanting me for my body and took it seriously," she told her lover.

"Well," said Harry, "In all fairness, I _do_ seriously want your body."

"Luckily enough, we have that in common," Ginny replied, leaning in to kiss him just as the doorknob rattled. She backed away, quickly suggesting a time and place where they could meet secretly, and started up an innocuous conversation with Harry about Defense just as her mother bustled in to finish up the alterations to the muggle-style wedding getups that Tonks had selected.

"Ginny, Harry," Mrs Weasley said a bit breathlessly in greeting, "This will have to be quick. Andromeda, and I are going over to the hall to set up in a few minutes. Harry, you and Ron are going to be running errands with Remus this afternoon, and Ginny, Tonks will probably need you to help with something or other. Oh my, but there's still a lot to do!"

The night before her wedding, Nymphadora Tonks was too excited to sleep. A million details about the day to come rushed through her mind. Suddenly she began to wonder if she should perhaps of gone a bit more traditional in some of her choices. Mind you, that would probably have involved choosing between muggle and wizarding traditions, and Tonks didn't know if she could have done that. She didn't want to exclude her father's side of the family, most of whom were muggles, nor did she want to ignore her wizarding heritage.

So, instead of opting for robes or a conventional muggle dress, Tonks had designed her wedding dress herself, and she loved it dearly. The bodice was a tight, formfitting satin in the lightest shade of silver, so pale it was nearly an iridescent white. The exaggeratedly full underskirt was the same material and fell to her knees in a delicious puff of crinoline. Over that skirt was a delicate lace layer of purple. Though the color was vibrant, the lace was so delicate that the impact of the color was softened slightly.

Her veil was made of the same stuff and was longer than the dress itself. A wreath of finely wrought silver flowers held it on her head.

Tonks had agonized over her hair for the longest time, and had come to see that the infinite options available to a Metamorphmagus were a bit of a curse in such situations. Finally, with Ginny's help, Tonks had struck upon the combination of a thousand different shades that made a shimmering, changing black cascade that had enough length to allow for an exceedingly complicated mass of braided twists.

Remus was to be dressed in black, and Harry, his only attendant, in silver. Ginny had a simple dress of a vibrant purple with silver detailing. Tonks thought that the younger girl looked spectacular in it, and she was glad. Tonks looked over at the other girl's bed, reflecting on how much she cared about her.

Ginny and Tonks had met when the girl's family had moved into the Order's headquarters back before her fourth year. Tonks had felt for the girl, alone among so many adults, excluded by her brothers, even Ron. She had gone out of her way to befriend Ginny, and was glad she had, when she realized what a smart, funny person she was, even though she was so young. Ginny had been almost like her little sister that summer and the one that followed. They couldn't communicate openly with the war going on during the school year, but they had remained close. Then, all of a sudden, Harry had happened.

Maybe Tonks would have been offended by how easily she was shifted to the background after Ginny and Harry began to date, but at the time, she was pretty preoccupied with Remus. Perhaps things had happened as they were meant to. Still, Tonks couldn't think of anyone she would rather have had as a maid of honor.

At that moment, Tonks turned to look fondly at the younger girl, and discovered that her bed was empty. Tonks frowned, wondering where Ginny would be so late at night. Intrigued, Tonks slipped from her bed and out the door, quietly searching the nearest rooms. Finally, at the end of the hall, Tonks saw light spilling out from under the door of the seldom-used study.

Tonks walked into the room silently, spotting Ginny sitting slumped on one end of a dusty old couch, staring up at the clock.

"Boo," Tonks said pleasantly, wondering what on earth was going on with her young friend.

Ginny gasped and spun to face Tonks.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!" she apologized.

"It's not your fault, I just didn't hear you come in," Ginny assured her, "What are you doing up?"

"Oh, I couldn't sleep, and then I got to wondering where my roommate was," Tonks explained teasingly. "What are you up to? You look as though you're waiting for someone."

"Er, no… just sitting here thinking about things," she replied nervously.

"What kind of things," asked Tonks, sitting down beside Ginny.

"Nothing major," Ginny replied quickly, "Just things."

"Well, I'm sure they must have been fairly important things to have kept you up this late. Want to talk about it?" she asked. Thinking back on the previous week, Tonks realized that Ginny hadn't been exactly herself lately. Now that Tonks had caught on, she was dying to know why.

"Nothing to talk about," Ginny insisted, keeping her eyes studiously turned from the clock.

"Are you sure? You've seemed kind of down lately. I haven't heard about a single bunny, grasshopper or fairytale creature all Christmas break," Tonks teased.

"Well, that's part of it, I guess," Ginny replied reluctantly, "There's been a devastating lack of nonsense in my life lately."

"Ah," Tonks said, "Because Harry and you aren't really in the position to be best friends lately."

"Exactly," Ginny said, "But I think I can deal with that. I mean, in six months, Harry won't be my teacher anymore and we can be friends again, right?"

"Okay, so if that's not what's bothering you, then tell me what is," Tonks invited.

"Well… the other thing is sort of petty," Ginny stalled, "And really selfish."

"That's okay," Tonks assured her, "We're all allowed to be selfish at times."

"It's just that everyone seems to be announcing exciting new things… and I haven't got anything I can share. It's like my brothers and everyone else is leaving me behind," Ginny replied, "Ron and Hermione are going to have a baby any day now, you and Remus are getting married. Last night Bill told me that Fleur is three months pregnant. Charlie's about to move to South America for a chance to study a rare breed of dragon, and Percy just got a legitimate promotion at work. Harry's started this fabulous new job that he loves. It's not that I'm not happy for you all, its just that I want something I can talk about to."

"Come on, Ginny, something exciting has to be going on in your life," Tonks said gently, "Got a new boyfriend you've been hiding?"

Ginny looked away before answering, "No new boy," she muttered.

"Perhaps an old one, then?" Tonks suggested, raising an eyebrow. For a while now, she had suspected that Ginny was keeping secrets… maybe now Tonks would find out for sure.

The silence stretched, until Tonks could almost see a confession in the offing. And then-

"No," Ginny replied firmly, "Listen, I was just feeling sorry for myself, don't worry about it. I'm going to bed! You should try to catch some sleep yourself. You've got a big day tomorrow!"

And then Ginny was gone. Yet Tonks was more certain than ever that Ginny had a secret, and the young Auror thought that she might just know what it was…

A minute later, Ginny dived under the covers of her bed and refused to resurface. For a second, there, Ginny had been very, very close to telling her older friend all about her relationship with Harry. That would have been a very, very stupid thing to do, especially because Ginny's reasons themselves were so very, very stupid.

What Ginny had told Tonks about feeling left out was true, though she's just said it to keep the older witch from realizing that Ginny had indeed been waiting for someone to meet her in the study. Ginny had nearly spilled her biggest secret just because she was so sick of no one knowing that she and Harry were in love and engaged.

But that would have been petty, and, as previously mentioned, stupid. The secret was already beginning to slip, what with Adam finding out. No one else could know, not until Harry and Ginny were able to tell everyone.

Remus and Tonks had a wonderful wedding. It wasn't the most sophisticated affair ever, but it was fun. Harry and Ginny even managed to spend a bit of time together innocently enough, which turned out to be a double blessing. Harry realized that he missed the goofy jokes and involved plots that they had always been in the midst of back when they could at least pretend to be just friends. Lately the pair hadn't been seeing as much of each other, and the time they did spend together tended to be in bed. It was refreshing to realize how amusing he found her, and how she could make him laugh so easily.

Harry resolved to take Ginny out for the entire next day, whether Hermione's baby was on the verge of being born or not.

And, as the guest departed and the remaining residents went off in search of relaxation after a stressful week, Harry and Ginny quite easily slid off for a day alone. They didn't want to risk visiting Diagon Alley where they were likely to see someone from Hogwarts, but instead the couple explored muggle London together.

They spent a most enjoyable afternoon pretending that they were an ordinary couple with only the ordinary sorts of concerns. They ate lunch in a quaint little teashop squished in between a clothing shop and a pharmacy. They took in a muggle movie, the process of which fascinated Ginny a great deal. They strolled through a snow-covered park, which they had nearly entirely to themselves, due to the chilly weather. They shopped for Christmas presents. And they stretched out the last bit of the afternoon by walking all the way back to Grimmauld Place, stopping frequently in shadowed doorways to kiss.

Finally Ginny tore herself from Harry, waved sadly one last time and headed inside. Harry sighed as he wrapped his scarf back around his throat and went to the Leaky Cauldron to waste time so he and Ginny weren't returning at the same time. An hour later, he could take no more of his own company wandering in Diagon Alley and used the Floo in the pub to travel back to the Kitchen of Grimmauld Place.

Harry was surprised to find Hermione all alone when he arrived, sitting with her feet propped up, tea cup in hand and looking rather like she had swallowed a small motor vehicle, not that Harry choose to mention it. At any rate, Hermione seemed equally surprised to see Harry at that particular moment, though hardly displeased by the turn of events.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked, a bit scoldingly, "It's freezing out!"

"Er… I've just been, you know, out," he stammered, blushing though he was trying his best not to and refusing to meet Hermione's eyes.

Hermione's curiosity was instantly engaged. "I figured that much out," she said, "Where exactly have you been?"

"Um, just walking, I swear," Harry replied, meeting Hermione's eyes, perhaps a bit too innocently to be believed.

"Oh, and were you alone?" she asked, with a teasing smile to soften her inquisition.

"Well," Harry hedged as he sat down and slowly pulled off his gloves and then unraveled his scarf.

"Harry Potter!" Hermione half gasped, half squealed, "Those are hickeys!"

Now there was nothing for it. "No, I wasn't alone, exactly."

"Who were you with, exactly?" Hermione questioned giddily, "Have you got a new girlfriend, Harry?"

"Sort of," he admitted, though Ginny had been his girlfriend for a long enough time that she didn't exactly qualify as new.

"Where did you meet her?"

"On the platform, waiting for the school train, where she was seeing off her siblings," Harry said quickly, "A bunch of the teachers were set to watch the platform for potential threats this year, seeing as the war was just barely done with at that point. I was one of them." Both statements were technically true, they just weren't really connected, Harry thought guiltily.

"So she went to Hogwarts? Was she in our year?"

"No, not in our year," Harry said.

"So she's an older woman." Thankfully that was a statement and not a question, which would have forced Harry to actually admit the truth or lie directly. "Do I know her?"

"Not as well as I do," Harry said with a smile, as he thought of all the things he knew about Ginny that no one else did.

"Of course not," Hermione said impatiently, "So, who is this mystery girl?"

Luckily enough, a pile of Weasleys barreled into the kitchen and Harry was able to slip away with an apologetic glance at Hermione. In another bit of luck, Harry had only to avoid Hermione for the rest of that night to keep from being questioned again, because early the next morning, she was rushed to St Mungo's to have her baby. For the rest of the holiday season, everyone was much too preoccupied with Baby Arthur Jonathon Weasley to care about Harry's mysterious girlfriend.

Even still, once he was back at Hogwarts, Harry had a hard time shrugging off the feeling that his and Ginny's secret was slipping through their fingers much too quickly to be stopped.


	45. Chapter 45: Red Handed

**Author Note: **These next two chapters are now edited by the fabulous Brad, and reposted with corrections. Stay tuned for an epilogue! Thanks for reading.

**Chapter 45**

**Red Handed**

The day started off poorly enough, and went crashing downhill from there, to land in a massive, messy irresolvable puddle of disaster. Ginny really felt it wasn't fair, given the fact that they'd managed to hide their relationship for nearly two years at that point. They'd been more careful in the months since Christmas, when so many had been so close to catching on. They ignored each other in the halls and interacted only as a student and teacher whenever there was the slightest chance someone else might have been about. They had been discreet, and their effort had been rewarded when no one else grew suspicious of the nature of their relationship.

Ginny supposed that they may have just gotten careless, but really, who could have predicted that Headmistress Stroff would pick that lunch period to track down Harry to discuss the possibility of arranging a dueling demonstration for after dinner one night?

When she woke up that morning, Ginny was running late, which meant there hadn't been time to connect with Harry, or do much but race to class. From there, a thousand little things had conspired to make her miserable. Her classes hadn't gone well, she'd had to skip her shower and she was starving by the time Defence Against the Dark Arts rolled round. She was feeling generally petulant and nearly cried when Harry informed them that this was one of the rare classes when they'd simply have to sit and take notes.

By the end of the period, she was nursing a headache and feeling abjectly miserable. So, when the bell rang, she just sat in her desk, head on her arms until her classmates had all trickled out. She sensed Harry close by a moment later, but couldn't bring herself to move.

"Don't tell me my class actually put you to sleep," he said teasingly.

Ginny forced herself to look up at him. "I wish," she scoffed, "No, instead, my head hurts, I'm starving and it's been a really bad day."

"Poor baby," he murmured sympathetically. "How about I tell you a secret that will cheer you up?"

"Do you promise it will cheer me up?" Ginny asked skeptically.

"I've just talked to the man about getting our house built on Sirius's island," Harry said, "He says they can be done by the middle of August."

"That's brilliant," Ginny cried with a grin, feeling a lot better already, "That means we can get married this summer and move in straight away!"

"Yeah, and I was thinking that we can tell everyone about our secret the first night, since your mother has already planned on getting everyone together anyway, and I thought that we could take a short trip after that, maybe just a few days to let them cool down, if they need to. But you know what?" Harry said thoughtfully, "I think they'll be okay, mostly. I mean, it's not like we ever really deceived them without a really good reason, right? I think we'll be okay, and probably sooner than we think."

"You're getting optimism all over me, you know that, right?" Ginny said with a frown. "I can totally feel it leaking from you and blotting out my crummy day."

"Glad to be of service," Harry replied with a grin, pulling Ginny to her feet and dragging her over to his desk, "Now come and look at the plans for the house. I know you just wanted something small for the two of us, but I want to have some room. At the very least, we'll need a few guest bedrooms, as well as places for our theoretical potential children and maybe a dog or a cat or something. I don't know, but I've always wanted some sort of pet, haven't you?"

Ginny stared at Harry a moment with a bit of a bemused smile, "You're like an excited toddler, did you know that?"

"I'm sorry, but don't you feel it? This is really going to happen! We're really going to get married and live together and have a family and everything!"

"Don't apologize," Ginny told him, "I think it's cute."

"Just cute?" asked Harry, pulling Ginny into his arms, and then engaging her in a kiss that was far beyond the description of 'cute'. He hoisted her onto his desk and systematically disrobed her, and himself, until they were tangled together half naked across his desk. Long moments passed with Harry and Ginny wrapped in their own world and then-

"Professor Potter, is that a student?" screeched a new voice suddenly, and Harry froze for a moment, Ginny under him, clinging to his chest. Then Harry looked up into the cold grey eyes of his boss. Professor Stroff did not look pleased.

In fact, she looked shocked and appalled.

Harry decided that it would be a good idea to put some clothes back on. Luckily, his robes were readily available and made up for the garments he didn't have time to seek out. Ginny scampered back into her own set of robes, blushing furiously, and letting Harry half hide her from sight with his body.

"Perhaps… your office?" Harry asked weakly.

"Yes, my office," thundered the headmistress, "Right now."

She stood aside from the door and Harry walked out, holding his head as high as he could manage, given the situation. He was hoping against hope that she would just let Ginny go, but the strict woman didn't budge until they were both walking through the halls ahead of her. The three walked stiffly and silently until they reached the gargoyle guarding the highest office in all of Hogwarts.

Then Professor Stroff took the lead and was seated behind her large desk by the time the younger pair entered the room. She waited until they had seated themselves before letting any words escape her tight pressed lips.

"You have some explanation, I am sure."

"You see-" began Ginny, but Harry didn't let her go on, just talked over top of her.

"I take full responsibility," Harry said calmly, leaning back in his chair, looking far too at ease and not at all contrite. He sounded nearly bored, which froze Ginny up for a second before she regained control of her tongue.

"No, I'm the one to blame," she said earnestly, pleading to the headmistress before shooting Harry a questioning look. "I was the one who told Harry-"

"Please," he scoffed, not addressing Ginny but the Professor, "Don't tell me you think this girl had any idea what she was getting into?"

"Well, she's hardly a child, and she has a reputation of being a bit smarter than you seem to give her credit for." Stroff seemed rather taken aback by the side of Harry that was currently on display.

"The smartest students rarely have any practical knowledge," Harry countered coolly, not looking more than mildly interested in the conversation. "What's more, they never know that they don't know anything, so it was very easy to convince little Miss Weasley here that having an affair with her dashing young teacher was what she wanted."

Ginny was as shocked as Professor Stroff, but she suddenly realised that Harry was probably just trying to get her off the hook, the noble idiot. Didn't he understand that he was trashing his career here?

"No, professor, I seduced him, not the other way round!" she protested, blushing and wishing that she had never had to utter that particular sentence aloud.

The Professor seemed to be considering Ginny's words until Harry laughed contemptuously. "Silly girl really believes it, doesn't she?"

"That's quite enough out of you!" snapped Stroff. "Miss Weasley, you have clearly been manipulated by a master. Go down to lunch now, and we'll see about you later."

Ginny didn't want to go, but she knew that Harry's performance had convinced the Professor. She would never accept that Ginny was just as much to blame for this serious breach in conduct as Harry was. She Ginny stormed from the room with only a last glare for her fiancé and went down to lunch, lacking any other ready course of action.

HPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHoHPoHP

Twenty minutes later, Harry knew his teaching career was at an end. Sure, he still had to live through the official hearing held by the board of governors whenever a teacher was let go, but really, he held out no hope. Professor Stroff was thoroughly convinced that he was a despicable slime of a man who spent his off hours toying with young girls and didn't care who knew it.

But Harry wasn't really worried about that right now.

He was more concerned with the possibility that he would never get near enough to Ginny to figure out what they were going to tell people now. Hopefully, Ginny would do the smart thing a play the poor victim when Stroff went to her. Maybe they could even avoid having a letter sent to the Weasleys. Still, some playing was imperative.

Fortunately enough, having been suspended pending the hearing and tossed from the premises, Harry had time to plan. What he lacked was a place to do it. So, when no better alternatives occurred, Harry walked down to the Three Broomsticks and ordered a very large drink.

HPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHoHPoHP

Meanwhile, Ginny had come up with a plan to outwit both Professor Stroff and Harry. She strode into the Great Hall, where her classmates were enjoying their lunch and marched right to the middle of the Gryffindor table. She found Colin Creevy and managed a bit of a smile. She hoped she was up for this performance…

Ginny got Colin to move over so she had room to stand on the bench and called for everyone's attention in the Hall. They gave it to her gladly enough.

"Hello, everyone!" Ginny began cheerfully enough, trying to channel Harry when he was thoroughly in character, "I hope you've been enjoying your lunches. I haven't been, unfortunately. You see, I just got into this really big misunderstanding with the Headmistress, and as a result, I felt I had to make an announcement to clear up some misconceptions of hers. So, yeah, without further ado, I'd like to announce that I seduced Professor Potter."

Instantly the student body started to whisper. Ginny let them for a moment, but didn't dare wait too long, for fear that the teachers would awaken from the stupor her words seemed to have put them in. "That was nearly two years ago now, before he was my teacher, and we've been together ever since. We're engaged, actually, and have been for more than a year. We're going to get married this summer. Anyway, that's not really the point. Earlier, after Harry and I finished going over the plans for our future home and were engaging in some adult activities, the Headmistress walked in on us."

This started up even more buzzing whispers in the Hall, but Ginny ploughed right on this time, "So she hauled us off to her office and somehow got the impression that my fiancé is some kind of pervert and now I think he's lost his job. But really, that's not what bothers me. I mean, he was kind of caught with his pants down at work, if you catch my meaning. I just thought we were all about equality here at Hogwarts. How is it fair that Harry bears the brunt of the punishment for something that was largely my doing? How can we let this injustice stand? So, I say that we all make a stand together, in the name of equality. If Harry's out, then so am I."

Ginny dropped from her position on the bench with a grin, just as Hedwig swooped down at her from the sky. Ginny stood up again. "What's this? Looks like my love would like to add something. Shall I read it out to you all?" Without waiting for encouragement, since she spotted the Headmistress in the entranceway, having obviously been fetched to join the party, Ginny read, "'Gin, Don't do anything stupid, love. I think I've tricked Stroff into believing you're just the innocent victim of a dirty old man. You've got to keep her from going to your parents. Just play the part, and we'll be together again soon. Love, Harry.' Hmm… too late for that, don't you think? That's all right, I played a different role and you've all been a great audience. Thank you, so much. Now Professor, if you've got a moment, my parents probably ought to be brought in. I'm clearly out of control."

HPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHPoHoHPoHP

Harry spent his afternoon in the bar well. He managed to cobble together a plan that involved a lot of coming clean and confessing that didn't make it seem like he and Ginny had been too deceitful or stupid. It all hinged on Ginny playing her cards right. Harry was sure she'd do it, if she had gotten his earlier note in time. He couldn't imagine Ginny purposely flying in the face of what he'd done to keep her parents from killing her, not if he had a plan where they'd all come out all right.

Still, Harry was sick of this all. The first phase of his plan was to go and tell the truth to Ron and Hermione and throw himself at their mercies. He wasn't going to spend one more night with lies between him and his best friends.

So, as he gathered his courage, Harry wrote a longer, detailed account of his plan in a letter to Ginny. He knew she'd be more willing to let him take the rap when he made it clear that this was for the best for everyone, in the long run.

At dusk, Harry was dragging himself across town to the joke shop where Ron and Hermione Weasley worked and lived. He knocked on the door, and started talking the moment Hermione opened it, Ron beside her and baby Arthur on her hip.

"Look, Ron, Hermione, I've come to tell you something I should probably have told you two years ago… it's kind of a secret, or at least, it was. I'm going to tell you right now, even though it really shouldn't be entirely up to me, because it's someone else's secret, too. But I've got to tell before it gets out or before it eats me alive, and it is on the verge of doing both. But please, don't hate me for it…when I'm done I hope you'll see that there wasn't a lot I could have differently. There were reasons, and reasons, and reasons I let it got on so long.

'First, it was dangerous, then it wasn't dangerous, but it didn't exist anymore. And then… well, it started back up, but it was going to ruin something else, and so she black mailed me into keeping it. I could have fought her on it, but I was so sick of fighting, you see. I should have insisted, though… maybe we wouldn't be in this mess if I had.

'But lying eats at you, too, like secrets do, until all that's left of you is the liar. So it becomes easier to keep on pretending and sneaking and lying than to stand up and untangle things and face the consequences. And I always planned on telling you, eventually. I didn't think it would go on this long…

' I hope that you will be able to be happy for me, and for Ginny and I hope you'll come to the wedding… actually I would really like you to be in the wedding, if you're still at all interested in talking to me." Harry stopped for a moment, surprised that they had let him ramble on in their door way for so long, before continuing, "Wow, I'm making a botch of this, aren't I? Well, okay, here goes. Ginny and I are together. We're in a relationship… we're dating. Actually, we're a bit more than that. We're engaged, and have been for more than a year. And I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but at first it was too dangerous, what with Voldemort running around out there... but I've said this already, sorry. It was stupid, though, because, in the end, it turned out he knew about Ginny anyway. And then we got into this massive fight, and I didn't think we'd ever get back together, so telling you seemed pointless…and then I was offered the Hogwarts job and Ginny threatened to dump me if I didn't take it, even though it wasn't so morally great as to take a teaching job where I was sleeping with a student. But I'm repeating myself… so, yeah…sorry."

"We know already," said Hermione quietly, darting a glance at her husband.

"How?" asked Harry, thrown for a loop. He could barely choke out that one word when a minute ago he'd been talking a mile a minute and not making much sense, without any hope of stopping.

"Well, things have been happening rather quickly," Hermione said nervously, shifting her son in her arms, "But from what we gather, after you left the school, Ginny up and told everyone in the Great Hall that she seduced you, not the other way around, and after that, she got expelled and the headmistress sent a letter to her mum and dad telling them to come collect her. But Ginny didn't stick around to be collected; she took off and came here, hoping to find you."

"Hermione forced the story out of her and insisted we owl mum and keep Ginny with us. But by that time, mum was at Hogwarts and found out that Ginny wasn't, and she screamed at the headmistress for losing her daughter and rounded up half of the Order to search for her," Ron said, speaking for the first time and giving Harry a bit of hope for their friendship.

"I think that must have been when Mrs. Weasley finally got the letter, and so she sent a reply that she was on her way, and we were waiting, before you turned up…"

"So, Ginny's here? And she got herself expelled? God, I had it all set, all she had to do was keep quiet and Professor Stroff would have roasted me and talked about what a brave little victim she was! Why didn't she do what I asked?" Harry muttered distractedly.

"Maybe she didn't want to pretend anymore," Ron offered thoughtfully. "It seems like you've been doing a lot of acting in the last two years, maybe she was just sick of it. Maybe she wanted to come clean."

Harry sighed, "I guess I can understand that," he said. "But, really, did she have to get herself expelled before she took the NEWTS?"

Any reply, beyond the vague crinkle of amused eyes on Ron's part, was lost when an irate female voice shrieked in the living room. "Ginevra Molly Weasley!"

"Hello, mum," Ginny said quietly as Harry, Ron and Hermione moved to watch unobserved from outside the living room door.

"You got expelled!" she yelled, "EXPELLED! And in your last year, too! None of your brothers ever did anything that stupid!"

"Mum, if you knew the situation, you'd know I had no choice! They fired him, mum! He lost his job trying to save my reputation!"

"Don't even get me started on him!" screeched Mrs. Weasley, making Harry pale, despite the fact that the woman didn't even know he was around. "Sleeping with a teacher, Ginny? How could you?"

"We're in love!" protested Ginny hotly, but that was all she had time for because Mrs. Weasley had clearly reached the crux of her anger.

"Did your father and I raise you to just sleep with anyone? I think not! If you don't respect yourself enough to keep from acting like a slut, you could at least respect your family! Really, is that how you pictured your first time, young lady, on a desk with a teacher?"

Ginny's anger, it seemed was beyond yelling at this point. Her words were nasty, but not loud when they came. "Oh, mother, grow up! That was not my first time, not by a long shot! It wasn't my first time with Harry, even! Or my first time with a teacher, or my first time on a teacher's desk, or the first time on that particular desk! It wasn't even my first time with Harry that week! In fact, I'd say that today was your average, run of the mill day, except for Stroff walking in on us!"

Harry expected an explosion, he really did. He expected them both to start yelling so loudly that they woke the baby Hermione held. Instead there was silence for a moment. Then Ginny sighed.

"Look, mum, I know Harry and I did some pretty stupid things today, but we honestly love each other. We've been together in secret for about ten times as long as we dated before that, and last June, Harry asked me to marry him. I said yes then, and we would probably be married already, except we got into a really stupid fight after he went after Voldemort. The only reason we kept our relationship a secret before that was because Harry was afraid of what Voldemort would do to me to get to him. When we were fighting, it didn't seem to matter that we had been dating, so we didn't say anything. And then, by the time we made up, Harry was offered a teaching job at Hogwarts. He wanted to turn it down, but I wouldn't let him do that for me. It was his dream, and I didn't think he should have had to give it up. So, yeah, that was probably a mistake on my part. I should have let him wait a year or gone to another school or something, but I didn't. And now it Harry's dream of teaching is dead, and its my fault. But I won't let that spoil everything else, because we belong together.

'We're getting married in August. I'd marry him tomorrow, especially because neither of us has school to worry about anymore, but the house he's having built for us won't be ready until the end of summer, and I want to move in there right away. I want to begin our life together the right way, mostly because these last two years, we've been doing most things the wrong way. I want our family around us and supporting us, but if you don't feel you can, then I guess I just have to understand. But just know this, we won't ever stop loving each other, or you guys, but if you make us choose, then you might not like the results."

Mrs. Weasley might have said something, but Hedwig swooped in the window just then and dropped a letter at Ginny's feet before landing on Harry's shoulder with a reproachful look. Clearly she didn't understand why he'd sent her to deliver a letter to a girl across the room from him. Harry was tempted to return the look, wishing that the owl hadn't called attention to his presence, because now the two redheaded women were both looking at him.

"There you are, babe," Ginny said briskly, "Good. We can go now; I've got a lot to do. I need to find out if Stroff will let me write the exams if I study on my own until then."

And with that, Ginny strode out of the house, pulling Harry by the hand after her.


	46. Chapter 46: Mopping Up

**Chapter Forty-Six**

**Mopping Up**

"Wait," said Harry, stopping Ginny, "Babe, you know I love splashy exits just as much as you do, and while it would be a shame to waste such a good parting shot, especially because no one does a dramatic get away as well as you, except maybe the orange bunny's eldest great-grand nephew, but I think it is high time we were… mature about our relationship, don't you?"

"Harry dear, weren't my mum and I just arguing over the fact that our relationship was a bit too mature for her liking?" asked Ginny slowly, with a precisely raised eyebrow.

"Well, okay, but what I meant was, shouldn't we start dealing with our relationship in a mature manner?" Harry asked, "Like, how about instead of storming off to Paris for a week, we ask your mother if she'd like to sit down with us and calmly discuss matters?"

"Uh… mum, what do you say?" asked Ginny evenly; half hoping her mother would give an excuse for her to storm out.

"Alright," said Mrs. Weasley with an odd look on her face, slowly sitting down. "Perhaps we should wait for Arthur, though. He should be here soon."

"Wonderful," said Harry with a grin, settling onto the couch across from Mrs. Weasley's chair and grasping Ginny's hand when she sighed and sat beside him. The three sat in silence while Ron and Hermione excused themselves to put the baby to bed.

Only Harry seemed immune to the tension in the air, as he smiled around absently. Ginny suspected that he was using his 'in charge' character, the one that he had employed with McGonagall during the previous year, but she couldn't be certain. Sometimes Harry really didn't react to a given situation like a normal person would, and now might be one of those times. Perhaps he was allowing his relief with finally having no secrets effects his perceptions of the given situation. Or perhaps her fiancé just happened to be an incredible actor…

Before Ginny decided either way, Arthur Weasley arrived on the scene. He whipped into the room through the fireplace, looking like he was stepping into the middle of a war zone. Harry supposed that ten minutes before, he would have been. As it was, the apparent calm seemed to unbalance him. Mr. Weasley did little but squint about suspiciously, his eyes darting from daughter to wife.

"Good evening, Mr. Weasley, won't you join us?" Harry replied, "Have a seat. We were just about to sit down and maturely discuss the fact that I'm madly in love with your daughter."

"You are?" he asked, blinking a bit overly much in his surprise, as he sat next to his strangely silent wife.

"Oh, most definitely," Harry replied gravely.

"Well, that's good, then," he replied.

"That's good, then?" asked Mrs. Weasley in disbelief, turning to her husband, clearly annoyed, but not actually angry enough to leave her seat yet. Harry took that as a positive sign. "That's all you've got to say to them?"

"Well, Molly, you know that this scenario is a lot better than what we were picturing after we got Professor Stroff's letters," Mr. Weasley temporized, "You've got to admit at least that."

Mrs. Weasley swallowed any further comment, though it clearly took effort. Harry decided he had better step in before she ran out of the power to remain silent.

"Err, letters?" he asked, genuinely curious and confused, "There was more than one letter?"

"Two, actually," Mr. Weasley said, pulling two slightly crumpled pieces of parchment from his pocket. He smoothed them out briefly before handing them off to Harry and Ginny, who bowed their heads over the page and read.

'Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,

It is with great regret and sadness that I am writing to inform you that your daughter, one Ginevra Molly Weasley, a seventh year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has been manipulated and abused by a very sick individual while at school. This person gained position at this establishment through the practice and employment of massive deceptions, and I regret that I allowed the fact that he was highly recommended by my predecessor to blind me to his true nature.

The whole story is as yet unclear, owning to the fact that Miss Weasley seems to still be largely under the power of this individual, despite the fact that he has been suspended pending a dismissal hearing.

I urge you to hasten to the school, so you might help us get to the bottom of the happenings around your daughter.

My thanks,

Professor N. Stroff

Headmistress'

"Wow," said Harry, with a frown, "I can see where that would be upsetting."

"It was, actually," Mr. Weasley said, matching Harry for blandness, much to his wife's disgust. "It sounded a good deal like a letter we got at the end of her first year, only less sympathetic, come to think of it."

"I'm sorry," said Harry quietly. Arthur seemed to deem that good enough for him, and beamed his approval at his future son-in-law. Mrs. Weasley seemed a bit more pensive, however. She didn't like to be reminded of Ginny's experiences with the Chamber of Secrets and didn't think it was something to be made light of. Ginny herself was a bit pale, because she was beginning to realise how worried her parents must have been.

"What did the second letter say?" asked Ginny to break the silence, taking the missive in question and reading it aloud.

'Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,

Since my last message to you regarding your daughter, events have developed further. I have been forced to suspend your daughter effective immediately following an incident in relation to the previous one that took place during the lunch hour. Miss Weasley proved to be a disruption we could ill afford at a time like this.

I regret that I must consider the option of permanently expelling her from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

What's more, I'm beginning to suspect Miss Weasley of complicity in the lewd behaviour that prompted the dismissal of a professor this morning and was the subject of my last letter to you. Previously, I had been convinced that the teacher had been using his influence to manipulate your daughter. I am, in fact, forced to entertain the notion that Miss Weasley enticed her professor into an affair and then had him sacrifice his career for her when they were discovered.

I will be investigating this debacle thoroughly in the time between now and the dismissal hearing for the professor later this month. I will keep you posted on the findings, but require you to come collect your daughter immediately from school.

My thanks,

Professor N. Stroff

Headmistress'

"Well, that one seems to have been largely my fault," Ginny observed. "After she booted me from her office, I wanted to make an impression, you see."

"I'd say you did it," Harry commented, "What on earth did you do? I had her thoroughly convinced that I was an unrepentant slime ball who got his kicks manipulating innocent young girls through a combination of charm, money and fame."

"That must have been some performance," Ginny commented, "The odds were stacked against you, what with your reputation as tragic hero and all around good guy."

"Well," Harry admitted blushingly, "I may have played the 'world owes me' angle. And there's a distinct possibility that I suggested that I meant to exact my price for defeating Voldemort, among other things."

Ginny burst out laughing. "Oh, babe, I wish I could have seen it! I've never seen you do sleazy before, and I've got the feeling that it's something worth seeing."

"Yeah, well, I wish someone would at least tell me about how you undid all the damage to my reputation in one afternoon," Harry countered, "Or maybe you could at least tell me why you didn't just play the innocent victim. I don't see the point in both of us ruining our futures."

"I don't consider telling the truth to be ruining my future," Ginny said primly, "And once I was honest with everybody, it didn't take even ten minutes for Stroff to change her mind about what went on."

"Honest with everybody?" asked Harry suspiciously, "What do you mean, honest with everybody?"

"Oh, you know, I just got up in front of the Great Hall at lunch time and told the entire student body and most of the faculty that I had seduced you two years ago and that you've been at my mercy ever since," Ginny said airily.

"Ginny!" Harry groaned, "How could you?"

"Easily enough," she replied with a wicked smile, "I used the funeral speech."

Harry groaned again before both started laughing helplessly. Arthur frowned. "What's so funny about funeral speeches? Why do I get the feeling I've missed something?"

"Because you're talking to Harry and Ginny," Ron said from the doorway with a thoughtful look, "Everyone is always missing something when it comes to them."

Hermione, who had re-entered the scene the moment before, with Ron, took pity on her father in law. "In this particular case, what you're missing is this old joke of theirs. They've been going on for ages about their secret affair and their plot to reveal it at each others' funerals."

"Guess that joke was on us, huh?" Ron said, still pensive.

"No!" protested Harry and Ginny in the same breath.

"It was honestly just a joke," Harry continued, "We planned to tell you at Ginny's graduation party this summer, honestly!"

"Things kept coming up or we would have spoken up sooner," Ginny added, "If for no other reason than its hard to keep up with all the cover stories." Harry shot her a 'you're not helping' kind of look and took charge again.

"You know what? I don't regret it," Harry said, "Well, I do regret the fact that we lied, but I can't regret why we lied, not when I ended up with Ginny. If she would have let me break up with her when I tried to years ago, then where would we be? I am sorry we lied, but I'm not sorry for what happened because of our lies. We belong together."

For a moment after that, Harry looked directly into Mrs. Weasley's eyes. Finally, blinking back tears, she nodded once and grinned weakly. Harry's face broke into a fantastic grin. He leapt to his feet, pulling Ginny with him. "Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, I just want you to know, I love her more than anything in the world. Ginny is the most important part of my life, and we're engaged, did we mention that? We're going to get married next summer, if that's alright with everyone, and we're going to live in a house I'm having built on an island that belonged to Sirius's family. Ginny wanted a small house, but I convinced her that we needed a lot of guest rooms… and I'm rambling now, aren't I, babe?" Harry asked Ginny, rounding on her to pull her to him and spin, as the pair laughed a little insanely before kissing.

"Ginny, dear, we should get home," Mrs. Weasley said a moment later, "You've got to get up early in the morning so we can go see about getting you un-expelled, if it's possible, or at least convincing that woman to let you sit exams."

"I'd offer to go with you, but I don't think I'd be much help at this point," Harry offered to general weak smiles.

"Harry, I've got a friend at the ministry that might be able to help you out with your hearing," Mr. Weasley said, "I could put you in touch with him."

"Thanks," Harry said, "But I think maybe I'll just let my teaching career fade quietly and discretely into the past."

"Yeah, Dad, think of the headlines if the papers got hold of this story," Ron said, shaking his head, "It wouldn't matter to them that Ginny's only a year younger than Harry or that she's been engaged to him longer than she's been his student, it would be all 'Professor Potter caught pants-down'."

Hermione came over rather giggly after that, but finally controlled herself enough to offer Harry a place to crash for the night. "Harry, I've got the spare room made up for you," she said.

Neither Ginny nor Harry could really protest as she left with her parents for the family home and he stayed with Ron and Hermione. They'd gotten off lucky, all things considered.

"So," Harry began when he was alone with his oldest best friends, "Do you hate me?"

Hermione rushed to assure him she didn't, but Ron considered a moment.

"I might have," Ron admitted, "Maybe I should, but I know you did it because you love Ginny and were afraid for her. I think I'm beginning to see what a weight was on you all those years. When you finally found someone who could make you feel better about it all, I'm not surprised you wanted to protect that. So, I guess I get it."

"Finally," muttered Hermione before leaning in to kiss her husband on the cheek. "I knew you'd get there eventually."

A quiet moment passed before Harry broke out into a manic grin once again. "Do you know what all this means?"

"That you forgot to take your medication this morning?" asked Ron skeptically from his position beside his wife.

"No!" cried Harry, still grinning, "She's going to be my wife!"

"That generally happens when one gets married," agreed Hermione amusedly.

"Well, I know, but she's going to be my wife," Harry reiterated, falling into silence as he contemplated that thought.

Later that night, he grinned again. Despite the fact that he and Ginny were miles apart, she was expelled, he had lost his job and there were still several more male Weasleys to deal with, he was truly happy.

The truth was told. He was finally free of the last holdovers of secrecy born of the war.

He was free of Voldemort forever.


	47. Epilogue

**A/N: Yeah, it's been a while… I honestly didn't think I was ever going to write this. I probably wouldn't post it, but their never seemed to be quite enough closure and I found this version of an epilogue scrawled on a crumpled cue card in the bottom of my purse… when I read it, I realized that this was where I'd wanted the story to wind up all along. I know it has been way to long for anyone else to care, but this makes me feel better about the story! (The fact that I posted at all is due mainly to Kiera Black asking me a while back if I ever planned to finish… so either thank or blame her! :P) **

**Epilogue **

"Harry!" shrieked the tiny redhead as though the world were at an end.

The boy in question came crashing into the room, looking about for some fearsome enemy or, at least, a rather large spider. "Babe?" he asked, reaching for his wand.

"Oh, Harry, darling, dear one!" she cried, hurling herself into his arms and seriously impeding his ability to protect her even from a gnat. "It's just terrible!"

"What ails thee, my lady?" he asked with a quizzically raised eyebrow. He now suspected that nothing particular was amiss. Never the less, he was willing to play along.

"Oh, it's most tragical!" she sighed dramatically before pouting petulantly. "They were trying to keep me away from you!" Ginny pointed accusingly at the clutch of redheads clustered nearby.

"Isn't that to be expected?" Harry asked as his other brow rose to join its mate.

"No! They told us they forgave us for lying, so I think its reasonable for us to expect them to let us be together!"

"Well, you're right, I suppose," Harry acknowledged, "But I more meant because of what day it is."

"Huh?" asked Ginny, batting her lashes with an artful innocence.

"There's this tradition some muggles have, whereby the bride and groom are kept apart until the moment of the actual wedding."

"Yes, _she_ said something to that effect," Ginny admitted with a nod to Hermione. "But I don't buy it."

"Oh, you don't?" Harry asked, green eyes sparkling mischievously, "Then I shall have to buy it for you. What store would you suggest?"

"I know this lovely speciality shop in Paris," Ginny suggested, with a sly smile.

"Right-o," said Harry, "Away we go-" And he would have disappeared right then, had he not been snatched by several hands, and had Ginny wrenched from his arms by several others. "Er, something wrong?"

"This is why we didn't want the pair of you to be together today," Hermione scolded severely. "If we give you half a chance, you're gone and we simply cannot have you flitting off to Timbuktu or some mysterious tropical island today! There are a lot of people out there expecting to see the pair of you get married, and I will not be in charge of telling them that we've lost you. _Again_."

"Gee, Hermione, are you still sore about our engagement party?" asked Ginny.

"Or my birthday?" asked Harry.

"Or mine?" echoed his wife-to-be.

"No," she said succinctly, "But I still haven't forgiven you for the Orange bunny's anniversary party."

With that, Hermione swept regally from the room in a way that made Harry secretly proud of his bushy headed best buddy.

"Look what you've gone and done!" pouted Ginny, "You chased away my maid of honour!"

"Hey, my fickle-minded love, you were the one who insisted we commemorate the quarter anniversary of the first time the bunny mentioned the plaid grasshopper to you twelve times in a single conversation," Harry reminded her, "If we'd waited for the half birthday of the bunny and the grasshopper's pet potato bug, then Hermione might not be so angry at us."

"Well, not likely. I'm sure you would have drove her nuts preparing the event and lost interest ten minutes after the guests arrived, no matter what we were celebrating," Ron informed them with a sigh.

"But big brother, that is not a very nice thing to say," pouted Ginny.

"It is a very true thing, though," he insisted grimly, "The truth isn't always very nice."

"Well, the purple hippo would disagree with you there," Harry told him, as though that settled the matter.

"Purple hippo?" asked Ron, looking fearfully to his silent brothers for support, "Is that a new one?"

"Well, I've never heard of him before," Bill offered.

"I was afraid of that," Ron groaned "We need to separate these two, now!"

"Okay, Ginny, you and Fred go find Hermione, while we force Harry to talk sense at least long enough to keep from searing the guests away."

"Don't let them get to you, babe," Ginny said with a wicked grin, "Imagine all the fun we could have with the guests gone!"

Harry blushed fiercely, much to the unease of the Weasley brothers.

But in the end, Harry and Ginny did stay for the wedding and for most of the celebration afterwards as well. As much as they liked to be alone, they really did enjoy being with their friends and family, especially now that their secret was out.

And, besides, they had a whole lifetime ahead of them to be alone together.


End file.
